Cat's True Love
by Burning Ice Phoenix
Summary: When Amu finds a cat, little does she know its a very pissed cat that can transform into a boy! But can a cat and human fall in love? Amuto Rated T just in case. -Completed-
1. Stray Cat

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Bip (AKA Me!): Hi!

**Ikuto: Aren't you supposed to say more than that? -.-**

**Bip: Nope!**

**Ikuto: But aren't you supposed to say Bip doesn't own Shugo Chara?**

**Bip: Thanks for saying that for me! And btw, Shugo Charas here are real humans.**

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**"Talking"

_Thinking_

"YELLING"

"_Person saying something special or person thinking back to what another person said. You'll have to figure it out yourself O"_

_

* * *

__**Chapter 1: Stray Cat**_

**-Narrator's POV-**

A very bored Amu walked to school on a dreary, cloudy day. _I really wish something would happen. _Amu thought. Today was the first day of school. For her, anyways. Her parents decided (since the moment she was born) that she will go to a different country for every year. This year was Japan, the country she was born in. Of course, her parents had asked her if this was what she wanted. But, that was when she was four. _A little too young to make her own decisions, don't you think, mom and dad?_ This year, she was in 5th grade and because she was in America last year, she ended up transferring into the middle of the year. She had to spend the entire summer with tutors.

As she approached the school, Seiyo Elementary, she saw two girls walking together. One had red hair, the other had blue. The red hair girl was about her age. _At least I'm not going to be only girl with abnormal hair color._ Amu was about to ask them where the bulletin board for which tells students are in were when something caught her eye. It was a blue cat.

_Japan truly has many strange colored mammals. _The cat sat on a wall, grooming one of its paws. As Amu stared at the strange cat, it continued to groom the same paw for at least 15 minutes. Seeing the cat did nothing else, Amu continued her way to school.

"This is our new transfer student. She is a returnee." Amu's teacher, Nikaido-sensei said. "Himamori-kun, please introduce yourself."

"H-HIMA?!" Amu shouted. "My name is HINAmori."

"Right. Right. Now please say something to the class."

"H-Hi."

"Wow! She's Cool!" A student said.

"And spicy!" Another student said.

_Isn't that a surprise. No matter where I go, that's what everyone ever thinks of me._

* * *

**-Amu's POV-**

On my first day of school, I found out almost immediately there were two groups of popular kids. One group consisted of 4 boys and 2 girls: Tadase, Kukai, Nagehiko, Yaya, Rima, and Kairi. All in 5th grade except Yaya who's in 4th and Kairi in 3rd. **(A/N: I don't think I need to explain how they look like, right :B)** The other group included 3 boys and 6 girls: Kiseki, Daichi, Temari, Pepe, Kusakusa, Musashi, Ran, Miki, and Suu. Kiseki, Daichi, Temari, Kusakusa, and Ran are in 5th grade. Pepe and Miki are in 4th grade. Musashi and Suu are in 3rd grade. Ran, Miki, and Suu are sisters. Also, there are a lot of wannabe's in that school. Apparently, everyone one of those popular kids have a fan club. All of them wanting to be their girlfriend or boyfriend. Sadly for me, even I got a few kids on my tail since they think I'm 'cool and spicy'.

When I left school, it was raining and even in my rush I was distracted, again. The blue cat was still sitting on the wall. It seemed to be desperately trying to hide the paw it was licking earlier from the rain. It looked tired and really cold. The cat suddenly lost balance and fell of the wall. It didn't get up.

I quickly ran toward it. I was relieved to see it was still breathing. I touched the cat and felt that he was very warm. _It has a fever!_ Then, I did something that surprise myself. I picked him up and continued walking home.

* * *

"I'm home!" I yelled. No answer. _Now, why would they go out in this weather?_ I thought, annoyed. I quickly grabbed a few towels from the bathroom and dried the cat as quickly as possible. Then, I made a makeshift bed with the towels and placed the cat there. I quickly went into the bathroom and filled the tub with warm water. When I returned to the cat, he was awake and liking his paw again.

I glanced at his paw, it was bleeding!

"A thorn's stuck in your paw…" I muttered. "And it's infected…"

The cat glanced at me and for a second, I thought he understood me. _Nah! There's no way that's possible._

"Hold out your paw, kitty." I said. _As if he can understand me. Pft._

To my surprise, he did hold his paw out. The thorn had stuck right through his paw, although very little of it showed through. "This may sting a little." I said. I grabbed hold one end of the thorn and pulled it out as quickly as I can.

"MERRROW!" the cat screamed but he didn't struggle. He did struggle when I entered the bathroom with him, especially when we neared the bathtub.

"C'mon! It's good for you! And who doesn't like a hot bath?" I stuck him in the furthest corner of the tub so he can't get out easily. I turned around to look for towels, but apparently, I had used all of them to dry him before. I left the bathroom, closing the door to a nearby closet where we kept all the towels.

I opened the door and sitting in the tub was a boy with blue hair. He had clothes on, sitting in a tub filled with water and dripping wet. I stared unblinking for five minutes. I slowly closed the door, not daring to breathe.

_WHO. THE. HELL. WAS. THAT?! _I took a deep breath. _It's Ok. I'm probably seeing things…_ I took another deep breath. _BUT IF I SAW A __**BOY**__ SITTING IN MY __**BATHROOM TUB**__, PROBABLY MEANS I'M EITHER INSANE OR REALLY SICK!_ I took another deep breath and let it out slowly. _I was probably seeing things. I just hallucinated. It happens. No need to hypervent._

I opened the door again. Sitting on the edge of the tub was the cat, licking its paw again. _Yeah…I just saw a mirage._ I quickly dried him up and put ointment on his paw and wrapped it in bandages.

"I should give you a name, huh?" I said to the cat. "Hmmm…What should I call you." That's when a voice entered my head. _Ikuto. __Ikuto. __Ikuto. __Ikuto. IKUTO!_

_Ok! But I don't want to name him 'Ikuto' _I thought back.

"I'll name you…Bluepaw! Like in Warriors!" I said to the kitty lifting it up. **(A/N: I don't own the series Warriors either.)**

"Merrow!" He said shaking its head.

_NAME HIM IKUTO!_

"Kyo! Like in Fruits Basket" **(A/N: Don't own Fruits Basket.)**

The kitty shakes his head.

"Sango from Wish!...Oh wait, you're a guy." **(A/N: Don't own Wish…)**

_Ikuto._

"Tom from Tom and Jerry." **(A/N: Don't own Tom and Jerry…)**

_Ikuto._

It went on for a while until the voice said _Just listen to your conscience! Consciences are always right!_

"Fine. Is Ikuto alright?"

The cat nodded happily.

_I give… to this conscience._ I thought but no voice replied. _I really think I should go for help…_

* * *

**Bip: Hey, Ikuto! Wanna read? –Gives him laptop-**

**Ikuto: -Starts Reading- WHA? This is Amuto and yet I appear in one scene and with clothes on! I thought you were my fan!**

**Bip: …I'm a fan of you. Not porn.**

**Ikuto: I didn't mean porn. I mean I'm in a tub filled with water with my clothes on.**

**Bip: Reason why I like Kairi better than you. He doesn't complain. **

**Ikuto: Grr! The brat is stealing my fans!**

**Bip: Plz review! Even if you hate the story to the bottom of your heart!**

**Ikuto: weird.**

**Bip: Or love Ikuto to the bottom of your heart!**


	2. Boy Named Ikuto?

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Bip: zzzz

**Bip: zzzz… -its early in the morning, I sleep ok?-**

**Utau: -Takes random horn and blows it in Bip's ear-**

**Bip: KYAAA! OMG! What time is it? Who died?**

**Utau: No one. Its time for you to write…type. It's your deadline.**

**Bip: I don't have a deadline. And where's Amu? She's supposed to be here not you. You're for next chappie.**

**Utau: She had some business to attend to.**

**Bip: Ok. Story's written on the hotel paper on my desk. I'm going back to sleep. Zzz…**

* * *

"Talking"

_Thinking_

"YELLING"

"_Person saying something special or person thinking back to what another person said. You'll have to figure it out yourself :O"_

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_**Chapter 2: Boy Named Ikuto?**_

**-Amu's POV-**

As soon as my parents came home from whatever they were doing, there was _a lot_ of begging involved.

_-Flashback-_

"We're back, Amu-chan!" my mom and dad yelled, walking in through the door. Yeah…I had no idea where they went, there were shopping bags, some groceries, some clothes, and some electronics.

"Nee-chan, Nee-chan! Look I got pweety fowers!" Ami said, running up to me. The flower's she gave me was blue…kinda like Ikuto's blue. _Oh yeah. I have to ask mom and dad if I could keep him. At least till he's better._

"So… Where'd you go?" I asked. "I figured you went to a mall…but you lost me the moment Ami ran up here with flowers. Did you go to a park afterwards or something?"

"Oh, we didn't go to anywhere like that." My mom answered.

"First we went to a Flea Market!" my dad continued. **(A/N: Was it Flea Market or Free Market…I haven't touched maple for a long time and yet it messes me up -.-)** "Then we went to Macy's" _There's a Macy's around here?_ "Then a store of my choosing, electronics store." _…Why can't they make it easier for all of us and just say mall and park?_ "And then we went to a **Wild Life Nation Park in Hokkaido!**" _There's a _what_ in Hokkaido??_

"How was your day, Amu-chan?" my mom asked. "First day of school in Japan must be exciting!"

"Uh…well…I found an injured stray cat. I was…uh…wondering if we could keep him…"

"A stray cat?" both my parents asked at once.

"Mommy! Daddy! Nee-chan!" Ami ran up to them holding Ikuto. "I found a kidty!" Ikuto did not look happy being held the way he was…

"It's not Kidty, Ami-chan, the word is kitty." Mom told Ami in a teaching voice.

"Sorry, Amu-chan, there is no way –"

"Please, dad!" I pleaded. _So not in my character…_

"No, Amu—"

"Please! Please! Please! Just look at him he's so helpless."

He sighed. "Stray cats aren't helpless, they—" He took one glanced at the Ikuto struggling to get away from Ami's grip and his eyes became bubbly with emotions.

"Your dad's right. We can't keep a cat if we keep moving to places." She said

"Mom, please!"

"Pwease, mommy!"

"Back me up, dad."

"Please, mom." _We've got dad on our side._ Dad's eyes were all bubbly with emotions, still.

"O-Okay…fine. But, Amu-chan, you have to be the one to feed him and clean his litter."

"Sure." I said, trying to sound like my usual self again. _I guess I have to potty train it._

_-End of Flashback-_

As you can see, we got to keep him. I didn't actually mean to sound like I wanted to keep him forever. Just till his paw was fine and he recovered from his fever (he still seems a bit weak). I can tell he wants to leave and be free. He's been trying to get outside ever since my parents agreed to keep him. It makes me wonder if he knows human speech.

He also gets mad often. Whenever Ami tries to pet him, he looks as if he's ready to claw her fingers off her hands. Luckily, he appears to have a lot of self control. When he's about as mad enough to kill someone, he runs off and hides in a nearby closet. Strange thing is, he knows how to lock doors. Our theory is someone taught him because whenever he hides in a closet, the door is 'unopenable'. For example, the first time he did it, I was just home form school and I needed to get to my closet and it wouldn't open. After a while of tugging, the door opened naturally as Ikuto walked out. Confused? Yeah, so were we.

* * *

As I was getting ready for school 2 days later, my mom walked into my room which surprised me so much, I actually screamed and hid under my bed.

"Sorry for scaring you, Amu-chan…It's just that…Ikuto escaped."

"He ESCAPED?!"

"Yeah, I wasn't watching him when I went out to take out the garbage this morning. I saw him streak by me."

I sighed. He wasn't completely healed yet. "I'll go look for him after school."

"I'm sorry, Amu-chan. I know you really loved him."

_EXCUSE ME? LOVED?? I met this cat two days ago. TWO!_

"It's Ok to cry, Amu-chan." My mom said, sitting next to me on the bed. "Ami cried too when I told her."

"Mom…Mom. I found this cat 2 days ago. I didn't even have a pet and owner relationship with him, since he runs away from me every single time. And Ami is a little girl. She's probably crying cause she just lost her new favorite toy."

After a whole lot of convincing that I'm fine and can go to school with no problems, I was finally free. Did she really think I'll be depressed over a cat I just met?! I suddenly understand why Ikuto wants to escape.

* * *

I really couldn't wait till lunch; I might get a chance to search for Ikuto. But, the class before lunch dragged on for at least 15 extra minutes after the bell rang. By the time I got to the lunch room, every seat was taken. Except one. One she really doesn't want to sit in. It was the table which contained one of the groups of popular kids. Apparently, they are the student council. And apparently, they are all free. The only thing that will bring them is a lot more fans.

I sighed and walked over to their table. I did my best to smile. I was really hungry and not in the mood to smile. "Can I take the seat here?"

"No." Kairi said.

"You can't sit here." Kukai added.

"I'm sorry Hinamori-san." Tadase said looking straight at me. "You really can't sit here. It's for safety reasons." He said grinning at me.

"S-Safety reasons?" I couldn't help blushing. His smile really did make him cute, just like everyone said. _I refuse to give in._ I turned away, my blushing stopped. "What do you mean?"

"He means you should look behind you." Nagehiko said. I glanced behind me. There was a huge crowd of boys and girls with vicious eyes glaring straight at…me?

"H-Hello…How's it going?" I said to the crowd. I quickly turned back to the student council members. "Why are they staring at me like that?!"

"They're jealous." Tadase said. "To let a pretty girl like you get hurt just because people are jealous is a bad thing." He smiled again and I blushed again.

"Uh…" I said, I went blank for a second. "W-Well, can I take the chair, then."

"Sure."

* * *

The bell rang and I bolted out of the classroom, running into someone.

"Kyaa!" the other person said as the both of us fell down. "Hinamori-san?" the person, a girl said. I looked up; it was the red hair girl, Ran.

"Sorry, Ran-san." I said, the both of us getting up.

She glanced at me for a second. "Hinamori-san, could it be you fell in love with Hotori-kun today?"

"WHAT?" I screamed. I almost expected to blush, but thankfully I didn't. Either way, I didn't love him. I thought he was cute, but that's all. "Of course not. Is someone spreading a rumor?"

"N-No…" Ran said, "I just thought that for a second. Well, see you around, Hinamori-san"

_Wow, that was just plain strange. I wonder if she likes him?_

* * *

I ran down the streets, trying to look for blue. There had been no sign of him. As I turned the corner, I crashed into someone. The first thing I noticed when I looked up was blue. It was a boy with blue hair and eyes. _Have I seen him before?_

"Amu?" the boy whispered

"H-Huh? How do you know my name?"

"I don't know your name." he said. "All I said was 'eh' unless that's your name."

I was certain he said Amu. But, I could've been mistaken. "Listen, have you seen a blue cat with bandages around his paw."

"Yeah." He said, drinking from a water bottle. I noticed his hand was covered in bandages.

"Where did you see him, he's my cat!"

He leaned down to stare straight at my face. "Really? He looked like a stray to me."

"W-Well, I found him yesterday." I said, blushing. "And I decided to keep him."

The boy frowned and his eyes narrowed as if he was trying to control his anger. "And what gives you the right to take away his freedom? He probably likes being a stray."

"I wasn't planning on keeping him forever! He was sick and hurt, that's why I took him in."

The boy looked surprised. "Really?" He finished drinking water and threw to a nearby garbage can. It was full up so the bottle just bounced off.

"Pick that up." I said.

"Why should I."

"It's littering."

"And?" He obviously didn't care.

"Someone could trip on it." _Ok. That was a little farfetched_

"Gyaa!" _bang_ "ouch."

I glanced to near the garbage can, a boy did trip on it…He was a boy that looked a lot like the one I was talking with right now. Except his hair was a darker blue.

"Ah! Yoru! Are you Ok?!" a blonde girl ran up to him, helping him up.

"Yeah, Utau."

"Utau?" I asked. "You're Hoshina Utau-san?!"

"Yeah. What's it to you?"

"I'm a big fan!!" I searched my schoolbag for pen and paper. "Can I get an autograph? Ah…"

Yoru stepped in front of me. But, he wasn't looking at me. He was glaring at the boy I bumped into. "I don't like the way you're looking at Utau." Utau glanced up surprised then she just sighed. "If you like her, I'll have to approve first."

"Could he be…?" I asked Utau.

"The overprotective brother? Yes." Utau answered.

"Nope." The boy said. "She's not my type anyways."

"Eh?" Utau's eyes perked up with anger. "Well, I bet you're nobody's type!"

"Hn. What ever. Hey, pink hair girl, Amu, was it? You planning to find your cat?"

"Ah! Yes!"

"Follow me, but don't get two close, I don't like people walking close to me." He began to walk away.

"O-Ok!" I followed him, keeping a distance. He turned the corner then the next corner, then the next. _If he turns this corner, we're right back where we started!_ He turned the corner. _Is he making a fool out of me?!_ "Hey, what's your name?" I asked him. "You know mine so it's only fair that you tell me yours!"

He didn't answer, but after a moment I thought I heard him whisper "Ikuto."

When I turned the corner, he was gone and sitting on a wall was Ikuto, the cat.

* * *

As soon as I got home, Ikuto ran up the stairs and settled down on my pillow, instantly asleep._ He must have a long day._ I thought, smiling. I jumped on my bed and watched him. My smile grew wider. _He's really cute when he's asleep._

I left him to sleep on my pillow and went downstairs to prepare his dinner. As I poured the cat food into the cat bowl, I wonder just how much he would like to eat. I continued to daydream as I poured. When my dream bubble finally popped, I noticed I had already poured a mountain of cat food in his cat bowl. _I'm curious on how I actually poured a mountain._ (It's literally coned shaped with one pellet at the very top x) _Well, I hope he can eat it all!_

* * *

**Nararator's POV-**

Later that night, when the family was watching T.V or something of the sort, Ikuto woke up. He walked downstairs following a tasty smell. He closed his eyes and followed the smell. He was still following it when he hit something hard. Opening his eyes he sees a mountain of cat food. He walked behind it and found a note that said: Please eat all of it, Ikuto!

"M-MEROW!" Ikuto cried angrily. _Who in their right mind can eat all this?!_ Ikuto took a nibble at the cat food. _I'm not hungry already._

The door opened and Amu walked in.

"Ah! Ikuto, you can't eat all of it?" Amu asked. "Well, I didn't really expect you to…"

_Oh, yeah? Then why did you leave that note?_ Ikuto thought.

"Ok, you don't have to eat all of it, just eat it continuously. If you can't finish today, finish it tomorrow."

Ikuto nodded and Amu stared at him. "Can you really understand what I say? You act so human like sometimes." Ikuto nodded again.

"Hey, Ikuto." Amu said as she took out another cat bowl from the cupboards. "I met an interesting guy today." Amu went to the fridge and took out a carton of milk. "He had blue hair, kinda like your blue fur."

Amu set the bowl of milk in front of Ikuto as Ikuto turned away from her, as if avoiding what she was saying.

"But, he dissaperaed really quickly. As soon as I found you."

Ikuto started to drink the milk, not making eye contact.

"I really want to see him again. I want to thank him."

Ikuto looked up quickly with a surprised look and then ran away.

Amu sighed. _Both that boy and this cat are really interesting. I just wish I could get to know them better. Both Ikuto's. _

* * *

**Bip: -sobbing- I really feel bad for Tadase…and Kairi, too.**

**Utau: Wow…who expected you to be super emotional…Anyways, change me to a cat!**

**Bip: Wha…?**

**Utau: Ikuto is a cat! I want to be a cat, too.**

**Bip: …um…if you're a cat then you won't get any scenes with Ikuto…**

**Utau: Ok! Leave me at a human.**

**Bip: -thinking- **_**At least that got her off my back-**_

**Utau: Btw…in a Shugo Chara fanfic, you sure include a lot of other mangas… -suspiciously- Just what is your favorite manga?**

**Bip: That's easy! It's…uh…Well, currently it's Sugar Sugar Rune!**

**Utau: What! It's supposed to be all time Shugo Chara!**

**Bip: Oh well. I got a new favorite. So what. Review or I'll whup your butt.**

**Utau: I'm supposed to say that!**

* * *

Preview for next time: -Plays music that is played at the end of Shugo Chara episodes (when they are doing the preview)-

Amu: It's raining outside, Ikuto why won't you come home? Waiting for Ikuto sure is tiring…Eh? What's this Ikuto doing in my house?! And…why is my heart beating so fast? Hey, Ikuto-neko, do you understand? Explain to me why!

**Bip: Ok, there are three subjects for the next Chapter!**

**­­­1. **

**2. Amu finds out Ikuto can turn human.**

**3.**

**See if you can guess it :D! **


	3. First Love?

**Bip: Ok…between computers breaking, sick sisters, stressing over the fact that I may never get to read sugar sugar rune, going to the library, reading over 500pg books, no internet, thinking of new fanfic ideas, drawing my own manga, I finally started this –dies at the stress- **

**Amu: But…doesn't all your stress relate to having fun?**

**Bip:…-blinks- On with the story!!**

**Amu: …Pushy, aren't you -- Bip does not own Shugo Chara.**

**Bip: WARNING!! Tadamu exists in this Chap!**

* * *

"Talking"

_Thinking_

"YELLING"

"_Person saying something special or person thinking back to what another person said. You'll have to figure it out yourself :O_

* * *

_**Chapter 3: First Love?**_

**Narrator's POV**

Two weeks later, Ikuto's paw was all better. Amu wanted to let him go earlier, but she noticed that he likes to rip the bandages off and bite and scratch his cut, making it worse. The family considered putting a cone around his paw. _Must have been infected, before…_Amu thought on the fifth time she replaced the bandages.

So, the cut took longer than normal to heal, so after 2 weeks of doors locking and mountains of cat food. The family agreed to let him go if he wanted to leave.

"NO! NO! I want to keep kidty!" Ami cried as she was picked up and carried upstairs by her mother. She broke out in tears when she was brought up the stairs.

"Amu-chan! Amu-chan! Do we really have to let him go?" Their dad was also in tears.

"Yes, dad. I kept him to make sure he'll get better and not get killed on the street." Amu said. _And…I also promised Ikuto-boy to let Ikuto-cat go._ Amu opened the door and Ikuto sat in front of it. For a moment he stared out and then he glanced back at them, Amu, really. After a minute or so, he bounded out of the house and disappeared from view.

"And there he goes!" Said a crying dad. "Amu! Go and chase after him!"

"Dad. What are you saying? Are you drunk or something."

"We're not like you, Amu-chan… We can't act all cool like you." He sniffed. "Goodbye, Ikuto!"

* * *

Half an hour later, it started raining really hard. Amu glanced out the window; it was raining so hard, she could hear it hitting the ground. _It's really pouring hard…I hope Ikuto's Ok…_Amu quickly shook her head. _I don't need to think about him anymore! He's no longer my problem!_ Amu grabbed a book off a shelf and tried to take Ikuto off her mind.

The moment she finished her book, her mind drifted back to Ikuto. She sighed. She grabbed a coat and umbrella.

"MOM! DAD!" Amu called. "I'm going out!" She didn't let them answer and walked out the door. First, she walked around the house and didn't see him. Next, Amu checked the surrounding streets and didn't see him. Amu thought back to when I first saw him. She hurried to the school, but still can't find him. **(A/N: WARNING 2!! Tadamu in the next paragraph and on! Do not read if you really hate! :X)**

"Hinamori-san?" a voice behind Amu said. She was so startled she let out a small scream and jumped around to face the person.

"Hotori-kun?" Amu exclaimed. Tadase was walking in the rain without an umbrella. He appeared to have been shopping for groceries. "You're all wet! What are you doing here?" Amu walked closer and held the umbrella over the both of them.

Tadase lifted the bag of groceries. "Can't you tell?"

"No! I mean with out an umbrella!"

"Oh! I got caught up in the rain."

_It's been raining for hours… _Amu thought. _How long have you been shopping? _

"What are you doing here?" Tadase asked.

"I'm looking for my cat…"

"Your cat?"

* * *

Amu and Tadase sat on not too wet bench in a park. Amu had just finished telling Tadase about Ikuto.

"T-Thanks for listening." Amu said blushing at the fact she told everything she was worrying about to a boy she only spoke to one other time.

"It's no problem." Tadase said and smiled. "I'll help you look for him! After all, he's important to you, right?"

Amu nodded. _Important? Is he really that important to me? I worry about him all the time…_Amu shook her head. _Never mind that. I just need to find him!_

"T-Thank you…Hotori-kun…" Amu mumbled.

Tadase smiled again. **(A/N: Wow, he never stops smiling does he? -o-)** He reached in to the grocery bag and pulled out a fake rose. "Here, this isn't a real rose (it came with one of the grocery products) but take it. And stop worrying. He'll come back. Now let's go look for him!"

Tadase walked away to start looking for him an Amu stood there like a statue, blushing.

* * *

**A/N: Ok…the Tadamu is finally over. -n- I felt sick writing that but it's needed to move the story on…**

* * *

"Ikuto!" The two continued to call, looking all around the town. **(A/N: I don't know where the heck they live so I'll call it a town o.o)** Amu was looking in a bush when she saw blue flash by in the corner of her eye.

"Ikuto! I think I saw Ikuto, Hotori-kun!

"Really?" Tadase turned to look at the direction Amu was looking at. Sure enough, Ikuto was standing on the other side of the sidewalk. The two of them ran towards Ikuto. Ikuto didn't run away, instead he just glared at them.

**-Amu's POV-**

Ikuto glared at me for a while. I just stared back like an idiot, really since I was so happy I found him. Then he turned to look at Tadase. I so surprised at the expressions they were making. Ikuto was glaring at Tadase with such an angry expression. _He's never even had that expression with me before!_ But, I was even more surprised at the expression that Tadase had. His face showed surprise and shock. But, his eyes showed a lot of pain like he was regretting something.

Tadase turned to face me and smiled, as if he didn't have that look on him before. "Here, you've found him; I have to go, now." He quickly stood up and walked around the corner. The moment he was out of sight, Ikuto ran away.

"Ikuto! Wait!" I said, trying to catch up. I followed as he turned a corner, but he was no longer there. "Ikuto? Ikuto!" I cried in a frantic voice.

"What do you want?" a voice said behind me. I turned to find Ikuto-boy there.

"Oh! Ikuto…I'm…looking for my cat…" He looked really angry and he glared at me in a similar way Ikuto-cat does.

"Then, why are you calling my name? And shouldn't you have released him by now. He probably wants to be left alone."

"Oh, um, that's cause you share the same name…" I said blushing to have been scolded by him. "And…I realize that he wants to be left alone, but…I really don't want him to leave!" I shouted loudly at the last part.

Ikuto-boy looked started, surprised, and moved at the same time. "Why?"

I started to cry in frustration as I thought of why. "I don't know! I care about him. He's become a bit like my family, I worry about him!" I shouted. Ikuto continued to stare at me. My voice grew calmer as I realized what I was trying to say. I shifted my eyes and said "And…he's important to me."

Ikuto's expression was really shocked and then it softened. "I see. I think Ikuto cares about you, too." He turned around. "Well, see you."

"Huh? Wait!" I tried to follow him, but he was really fast, he was at the end of the block before I knew it. And when I turned the corner, Ikuto-cat was sitting there soaking wet, in a way that's as if he was waiting for me.

I smiled. "Would…you like to go home?" I asked him.

For the first time, Ikuto-cat seemed to smile. "Meow…" And I could only imagine what he said, but he seemed to want to come home with me.

* * *

**-Narrator's POV-**

A month passed since Ikuto had decided to leave and come back. You couldn't even imagine the happiness of Amu's parents and sister when Amu walked through the door with Ikuto. So much that even if there was a thousand and five of Amu and Ikuto, they still wouldn't be able to stand it. Ikuto ran off to take refuge behind a sofa. Amu took refuge in her room.

However, Ikuto took a change for the good. He seem to smile (in a cat way) a lot more and he no longer glared at them.

So, this event takes place a month after…

Amu was ready to take a bath after a sweaty afternoon of gym. **(A/N: She had gym last period and ran to Ami's nursery to pick her up.)** She filled up the bathtub and took of her shirt. That's when she noticed Ikuto staring with unbelieving eyes at her. _Oh…I didn't notice him here._ Ikuto turned around and jumped on to the side of the bathtub, lost his balanced and fell into the bathtub. There was a really big splash. _What's with that splash, he's just a cat!_ The water caused Amu to close her eyes, and when she opened them, Ikuto-cat wasn't there anymore. Sitting there instead was Ikuto-boy. Just like the first time Amu saw him: fully clothed and strangely sitting in a bathtub.

"K…KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Amu screamed as she pulled her shirt back on as quickly as possible.

Her parents were on the other side of the bathroom door in a second.

"Amu-chan, what's wrong?!" Her mother asked.

"Uh…n-nothing." Amu hoped that her voice wasn't as scared sounding as she was. "The water was just warmer than I had expected…"

"Oh, yeah, that happens to me all the time." Her dad said and her parents left.

Amu continued to stare at Ikuto.

"What?" he asked.

"What happened to Ikuto-cat?" Amu asked in a shaky voice.

"I am."

"Then, change back to a cat!" Amu said not even trying to begin to think of all the logical and illogical things involved in here.

"Fine, fine. Just give me a second." He took a deep breath and turned the faucet on to the very hot zone. There was so much steam that Amu couldn't even see. Then, she heard a splash and the water faucet turned off. When the steam cleared away, Ikuto-cat was sitting in front of her again, glaring at her for the first time in a month.

_He's…really mad at me…_

* * *

**-Amu's POV-**

I and Ikuto walk into my room and as soon as we were inside, I locked the door. "Ok. Talk. Tell me what's going on." I said sternly.

Ikuto stared with me with eyes that look like he thought I was an idiot. He took a deep breath and started glaring at me and crawled under the bed. When he crawled out from under the bed, he was Ikuto-boy.

"I guess I have some explaining to do, huh?" he said still glaring at me.

"You bet you do." I said in a pissed voice. "And stop glaring at me. I'm the one who's pissed."

"Fine." He said and turned around. Apparently that's his way of not glaring at me. "What do you want to know?"

"First of all, what are you?"

"A cat."

"Then how come you're human right now and all the other times…" My voice trailed off and I blushed as I realized that I was talking about him each time I had talked with him.

"It depends on how I feel. If I'm extremely angry, sad, mad, embarrassed, any emotion goes past a certain level, I turn human. And when my emotion goes back to normal, I turn back into a cat.

"Why can you turn into a human? Are all cats like that?"

"No. I'm the only one I know off. But…who knows. There might be others. I turn into a human because I'm looking for something. Something that can only be found as a human."

"What are you looking for?" I asked and he turned his head to face me. I expected a really mean glare. Instead, his face looked really sad and happy at the same time.

"Sorry, that's personal." He said and turned away from me again. "Any more questions, because I want to turn back to a cat now."

"3 more."

"Ask away."

"Why did you hide under the bed to transform? How long can you stay human? And why were you mad at Hotori-kun?" I asked really quickly.

"Dunno. I can't transform unless I'm out of sight from anyone else. I run into your closets because I didn't want to take the chance of transforming in front of your family. I can stay human for as long as I want. And…Hotori…do you mean Tadase?"

"Uh…yes."

He turned to glare at me. "That's personal, too."

His voice sounded so angry that I was afraid to do anything. He got up walked into my closet, and when he came out, he was a cat again. He glared at me and walked out of my room. For a while, I remained sitting on the floor, shocked by how angry he was at me.

* * *

**-Narrator's POV-**

Amu was walking through the school library. It was so huge, that Amu actually got lost in it. She hadn't seen anyone around for a while, only books. Amu sighed. _I'll never get out of here. I would yell, but…it __**is**__ a library after all…_

_Huh?_ Amu saw someone's shadow walking away. "E-Excuse me!" Amu said, walking to the place the person was standing. It was Kairi.

"What do you want? And speak softly, this is a library." He said looking up from a book he was looking at.

"Um…ah, I got lost."

"As if I couldn't tell. Exit's that way." He pointed behind me. "Turn left when you hit a dead end."

"Ah…I also want to look for a certain book, class rep. Cat stories."

"Class rep? Cat stories? Elaborate."

"You know, ancient stories, legends, stuff that can't be real?"

"You mean folklores? Explanations for why things exist?"

"Ah! Yeah, that's the one!"

"Hmm…he was looking for that, too." Kairi muttered.

_He?_

"I don't think we have a lot on that. But, here's a map." He pulled one out from his pocket. He took a pen and circled a section. "Good luck."

"Thanks, class rep!" Amu said as he walked away.

* * *

Amu followed the map for at least half an hour before she got to the right section.

"Cat folklores…Cat folklores…" Amu muttered. _I am certain there was a folklore about animals turning into humans and humans turning into animals._

"There are no cat folklores." A voice said from behind her.

Amu turned around to face the voice.

"Hotori-kun!"

"You can call me Tadase." He said, smiling, again. "I already checked. If there is, it's not in this library."

"Um…thanks for telling me, Tadase-kun."

"No problem." He said and walked away.

"U-Um…Tadase-kun…" Amu said blushing. "Are…Are you researching because of Ikuto?"  
"Huh? No…I'm researching for a different reason…"

"A-And…Tadase-kun, you can call me…Amu." Amu's voice trailed off at the last part.

"Ok, Amu-san."

* * *

**-Amu's POV-**

_Why was I blushing so hard? Why did I want him to call me Amu?_ I ran down the halls, trying to convince myself my face was red from going in circles in the library and it was getting redder because I was running. I didn't watch where I was going and ran into someone. Papers flew everywhere.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, Hinamori!" the girl said. "Now, I have to pick everything up!"

"S-Sorry…How do you know my name?" I looked up at the girl. She had dark blue hair and was wearing a hat against the school rules and using a spade pin to hold it up._ Um…who was she again?_

"You're in my sister's class."

_Oh…right. Miki. Ran's younger sister._

"Hey, are you alright?" She asked as she picked up all the scattered papers. "Your face is red."

"I…ah…I was running."

"Running wouldn't cause your face to be that red. Only if you're in love would you be blushing like that."

"I…I'm in love?"

"Well, I'm just saying. My sisters say that I look like that after I've hanged out with someone I like."

"Eh?" I said, speechless. _There's no way I could be in love. Not with him. It's not possible, right?_

* * *

I walked into my room to find Ikuto (cat) asleep on my bed. _Ah…darn, I wanted to lay on my bed after today…Today was really confusing… _I sighed and watched Ikuto sleep. He really was adorable this way.

"Hey, Ikuto…" I muttered. "Do you know what it feels to be in love?" _Oh…what does it matter…I'll get over him. He'll be just another friend, soon. No guy has ever really made me think about him all the time._ I put down my bag and left the room.

**-Narrator's POV-**

_Tch. Falling in love, huh? She'll only end up in heartbreak, poor girl._ Ikuto lay back on the bed and closed his eyes but, sleep wouldn't come. He sighed. _But, why does what she said bother me so much._ Ikuto closed his eyes again.

"Ah…well, it's none of my troubles anyways…" Ikuto's eyes clouded in confusion. "Huh?" He sat up and looked at himself. "When did I transform?" He took a deep breath and cleared his head. He looked again. Still human. He looked out the balcony. _Maybe I just need to take a walk and clear my mind._ He left the glass door open as he walked to the balcony and jumped off.

A few minutes later, Amu walked in to the room. "Ikuto? Where are you?" She looked under the bed and then she noticed the balcony door opened. "Oh no." Amu muttered.

* * *

**Bip: Wow…long chapter… 7 pages o.o**

**Amu: …But you finished half of it in 2 days -- you just slacked off.**

**Bip: I was away on a trip!**

**Amu: Excuses.**

**Bip: … is pointing out mistakes your hobby or something?**

**Amu: No. Of course not. Who'd do something like that?**

**Bip: How are you cool? I only see spicy. -o-**

**Amu: .. That's why I have charas. Anyways, please review.**

* * *

Before I forget, last time, the answer to the subjects was 1. Ikuto leaves 2. Amu finds out Ikuto is a cat/boy and 3. Amu falls in love. And I'm REALLY REALLY REALLY sorry about the Tadamu. But its necessary for the story to move on.

One more thing, if anyone knows where I can read Sugar Sugar Rune Vol. 2 and up plz tell me .

And if you know where I can read Zombie Loan chap. 16 and up translated Plz tell too!

**Utau: You're supposed to like Shugo Chara best and pleading for that!**

**Bip: Yeah, but I already know what will happen from summaries and the episodes…plz don't hit me! :...0**

**Utau: -eyes narrow- -hits-**


	4. Superstars and Halloween

**Kairi: Hello? Bip-san?**

**Echo: An an an…**

**Kairi: … -sweatdrop-**

**Bip: -glomps from behind and knocks Kairi down- And the predator wins!! :D **

**Kairi: … O.OU…? ...um…before anybody else gets hurt, Bip does not own Shugo Chara.**

* * *

"Talking"

_Thinking_

"YELLING"

"_Person saying something special or person thinking back to what another person said. You'll have to figure it out yourself :O"_

* * *

**_Chapter 4: Superstars and Halloween_**

**Narrator's POV-**

"MOM! I'm going out!" Amu yelled as she rushed down the stairs and slammed the door before she could answer. _Does a single month pass without that cat trying to runaway?! Maybe I should get an electrical fence._ Amu ran down the familiar streets, looking for blue. It wasn't long before she spotted the familiar shade of blue. _Huh? I thought his hair color was slightly lighter than that._

"IKUTO!" Amu yelled. "THAT IS THE LAST TIME I'M LETTING YOU OUT OF THE HOUSE!" Amu walked up to him and started to drag him back.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing? I'm talking to someone!"

_Huh? That's not his voice._ Amu looked up…to find that it was not Ikuto, although he does look familiar and a lot like Ikuto.

"Yeah! Hands off of him!" Another familiar voice scolded me. Amu turned to look at the girl yelling. Her face was slightly red from anger. She had short purple-black hair and purple eyes. Amu glanced up at the boy she was dragging.

"Eh?...OHMIGOSH! I'm so sorry!" Amu apologized quickly. "I thought you were someone else! I'm so sorry, Iru-san, Yoru-san! You must have been discussing a concert or something!"

"Um…no." Yoru said. "Hey, you're that girl from the other day, right? When I was with my other sister Utau."

"Y-Yes…"

"You were with Utau?" Iru asked. "Geez. She has way too much free time. I like to see her try and work herself off as both an actress and singer." **(A/N: Utau is a singer and sometimes model. Iru is an singer, actress, and model. Yoru is both Utau and Iru's manager. Yoru is the oldest (16), Utau is the middle child (14) and Iru is the youngest (12).**

Yoru turned back to discuss things with Iru. "We'll just have to wait till they show up. You three can go to the hotel together."

"Yoru-kun?" Another voice appeared in the conversation.

_Huh. I feel like I'm watching a drama unfold._ Amu thought as she stayed to see what will happen.

"Miki? What are you doing here?" Yoru asked in a surprised voice.

"Yeah, Miki." Iru said in a jealous tone. "What _are_ you doing here?" Iru grabbed Yoru's arm and hung on tightly.

_Oh…a brother complex_

"I was just passing by." Miki said in an innocent voice.

"If you're just passing by, then get on with it!"

_I hope there's no cat fight. LOL. It really is like watching a drama. Unfortunately, the scenery doesn't change._

-Amu continues to watch for another 15 minutes (LOL she totally lost the thought of finding Ikuto. So while she does this, we can see what Ikuto's up to ;P)

* * *

**-Ikuto's POV-**

I walked down an ally, unlike normal people who would avoid this place. It was like a place from a horror movie except it was in the day time. It didn't matter to me, the fear that I had experienced here was already over.

_It's been a while since I've been here._ _This place is still as dreary as it was since I was last here._

The ally reached an end and I just stared at it. The place where I was standing at that night, where that horrible man stood and the frightened boy sat. _I won't forgive either one of them. _I turned to leave when I saw blonde hair flying as the wind blew.

I stopped walking but I didn't turn to look at her. "What do you want?"

"Oh. I'm just here as an informant." She said. She didn't do anything; she just stood there, as if waiting for me to react. When I didn't she continued. "You're closer to finding what you want. But, that also means you have less time left. You'd have to come back soon."

My eyebrows raised in confusion. "Come back?"

"Oh. That's right. You weren't informed." She muttered in a soft voice. She probably thought I couldn't hear.

"Informed about what?" I said turning to look at the girl with short blonde hair in a white dress.

"It's nothing to worry about." She said with a forced smile. And before I was about to say anything, she left, walking back to the end of the ally, vanishing in the darkness.

I sighed. _Does that girl ever bring good news? And seriously, I can think of a better way to make an exit._

* * *

**-Amu's POV-**

After 15 minutes of the two girl's drama, a _really _long limo appeared.

"Ah. They're here." Yoru said.

"It's about time." Iru said, pissed from her conversation (Argument) with Miki.

And out stepped…The band Diamond!_ Ah! No way! I can't believe my good luck these days! I have to thank Ikuto for wandering around!_

The twins Dia and Daiya stepped out. **(A/N: Daiya is the x version)**

"Iru. You should know better than argue with an elementary student." Daiya said.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let's just go to the hotel. I'm pissed enough today." Iru said and climbed into the limo. "C'mon, Yoru."

"Uh…I'll wait for Utau, too."

Iru scowled as Dian and Daiya climbed in to join her.

The limo left and someone new crossed the street to join the scene. From one direction, Ikuto, from the other, Utau.

"Ikuto!" I yelled. Ikuto turned to look at me. And I wish he hadn't. He looked so sad and troubled. He caught sight of Utau and he started glaring. _I changed my mind. I rather have a sad Ikuto than a glaring Ikuto._

"Stop staring at Utau. Didn't I tell you that? She herself said she doesn't like you." Yoru said. "See you later Miki." Yoru said as he called for another limo.

"Let's go Ikuto." I said and started dragging him away.

* * *

"I can walk by myself." Ikuto complained. I tugged harder when I heard that. "Geez. Why are you so mad?"

"I'm not mad!" I whipped around and yelled at him.

"You are so mad." He muttered.

"I heard that!" I said. Then I sighed, let go of his hand and continued to walk. 10 minutes of walking silently. "Hey. Do you like Utau?" I asked. _Why the heck did I ask that? He already said he doesn't. And I don't care either way._

He stopped walking. My question surprised him. "No."

"Then why do you always look at her so much?"

"She…reminds me a lot of someone."

"Who?"

He didn't respond and continued walking.

_Ok…Landmine #1 is Tadase and landmine #2 is this girl…Geez I have to be careful of what I say each day, then._

When we reached our house, he said "She's like a messenger. She always brings either strange or bad news."

"Um…Ok." I said and then I noticed he was still a boy. "You aren't going to change back?"

"Oh…right. Just so you know, I didn't run away, today. I couldn't change back to cat form so I took a walk. That's when that messenger came and told me stuff I needed to know. Apparently, she wanted to catch my attention by not letting me turn into a cat. I use the back door, Ok?"

I nodded.

* * *

When I got to my room, Ikuto made it in there before me. He was already asleep. _Geez, whether he's a cat or boy, he's so mysterious._ I sighed. _I want to ask him, but it seems if I do, our friendship would end right there. Everything is balanced out so carefully, like it's a seesaw. If I try to lean closer to ask him anything, the balance would collapse and he would leave. _I sighed again and closed my eyes.

"Sighing makes your happiness go away." Ikuto said.

I opened my eyes. "Huh? Ikuto? Why are you in boy form?"

"You looked sad. And as a cat, I can only listen to your troubles. I can't talk unless I'm like this." He said and smiled. "So, what's wrong?"

"Um…I-I…One of my friends seem to be having a hard time. I don't know if I should say anything because he doesn't seem to want to talk about it…"

He looked deep in thought. "Well, I wouldn't push my luck with that. I'd try to cheer him up."

"Ok!" I said smiling. Then I frowned. "But…I have no idea how to cheer him up, though."

"Um…Well, why don't you make his favorite food or buy a video game or video for him?"

"I'll go with favorite food." _Chocolate-favored Tuna._ I ran down the stairs into the kitchen to find the right can of tuna.

* * *

Afterwards, Ikuto never brought up what happened that day. He seemed happier as if the events were fading away to an old memory.

Today was Oct. 27, 4 days from Halloween and the kids here are getting a little crazy about what we should do with the school. Our class chose to have the school decorated with ghosts and stuff but in reality, after you get to the furthest part of the school, you are invited to a party. _Lame._

Luckily, another class had a better idea. A test of fear. _Now that's more exciting. _**(A/N: No, I haven't forgotten she's afraid of ghosts)** The student council decided to have that as this year's event. Last year's event was to open a spooky café. They had 5 customers max. Half due to the fact that the students ate most of the products and the other half was due to the fact that nobody would come to the school at night. And any trick or treaters coming for candy and food had to pay for the food.

* * *

On Oct. 31, Halloween, I dressed up as a vampire. I made Ikuto come along and wear a cat costume. He didn't look good in a cuddly and cute costume so I gave him a pair of fake vampire teeth so he'll look scarier.

"Ok, everyone!" the teacher yelled. "You'll be given two tickets each. One ticket for each pair. There are two trails, which is why you get two tickets.

I received my tickets and was about to drag him in with me when he said "I'm not going in. I'll wait outside."

"I need a partner. Come on!" I said as I tried in vain to drag him. Not even a centimeter.

"Amu-san!" I looked up to see Tadase.

"Tadase-kun?" I saw that he was with Ran at the entrance. I walked over to talk to him without bothering to drag Ikuto. "You're going in now? With Ran-san?"

"Yes." Tadase said smiling brightly. "Would you like to come with us? I mean with him." He said glancing at Ikuto.

"No. He's being stubborn." I said grouchily.

"Then, why don't you go with Tadase?" Ran suggested.

"Huh?" Tadase and I both asked.

"It's Ok. I can go next time." Ran said smiling.

"Um…Ok." Tadase said and Ran left. "Let's go, Amu-san."

The two of us entered the first trail and awaited the horrors to come.

* * *

**Bip: -writes/types- ……….-stares into space-**

**Kairi: -Whacks bip with a ruler-**

**Bip: Owieeeee :…O**

**Kairi: It's for your own good.**

**Bip: Sniff…But you don't need to hit me to get me writing…**

**Kairi: You stare off into the space.**

**Bip: I'm thinking!**

**-And they continue arguing-**

* * *

**Next Chapter Preview:**

"There's someone you like, Tadase-kun?"

"Yes. She's a really great person! She always listens to what I have to say. And…although sometimes she rushes into things, she's…special."

* * *

**Bip: See you next Chappie! :D**


	5. The Horrors of Halloween

Ok, now that I've started high school I get close to 0 of free time of any sort. So, I really don't have much time to type up any chapters for Cat's True Love. If I do get any time on any computer, I'll type this up…maybe… shifty eyes you really can't blame me cause the train ride is 1 hour + and across two cities…so you can't blame me (conscience: Yes, they so can.)

* * *

**Bip: Ok! Let's get things started here! –Cheerful for some reason-**

**Nagihiko: You're cheerful today, Bip-san. Why?**

**Bip: Cause… :D after this chapter, the plot is coming to place!**

**Nagihiko: That's impressive, you actually thought of the plot in advance (for once).**

**Bip: Yes! Yes! Aren't I special!**

**Nagihiko: Yes, you are. –pats bip on the head-**

**Bip: Oh! Natsuya801923, you guessed right ;P Good job!**

* * *

"Talking"

_Thinking_

"YELLING"

"_Person saying something special or person thinking back to what another person said. You'll have to figure it out yourself :O"_

* * *

**_Chapter 5: The Horrors of Halloween_**

**-Amu's POV-**

Tadase and I started entered the school. The decorations were kind of lame. There were ghosts and stuff, but they looked faker than the kids pretending to be them for trick or treating. _Seriously, why does anyone believe in ghosts?_ I sighed. Tadase walked beside me. He had no expression on and just stared at the decorations.

_Wait! I can take advantage of this situation! I can act all girly and scared…_ A plot began to form in my head. I pretended to tremble.

"Amu-san? Is something wrong?"

I looked up at him with teary eyes. "I-I I'm scared!"

"It…It's alright! We're almost out anyways!" He pointed to a light at the end of the hallway.

_Darn!_ We reached the end of the hallway only to find it split two ways. There was a sign post that said 'Scary Path' and 'Scarier Path' on the bottom of the two arrows, there was a sort of message 'If you were scared before, you should turn back. You will start screaming your head off soon.' _What the hell? From what I've seen, nothing can get LAMER._

"Amu-san, do you want to turn back? You said you were scared."

I shook my head. "I'll be Ok. Let's take the Scarier path."

"Um…OK."

We walked in silence and I wondered if he was upset about something. _He isn't smiling like he normally does._ "Ta—"

"Amu-san, isn't it strange that there hasn't been anymore decorations?"

"Huh?" I glanced around and found out he was right. _Strange. Didn't the sign say this was the scarier path?_ I looked around and realized something. "Tadase-kun! What happened to the classrooms?! I grabbed onto his arm, now. I was more than a little scared.

"You're right; it's just a hallway, no classrooms."

_**Bang. Crash. Thud.**_

"W-What was that?!" I asked, more like screamed as I clutched his arm a little tighter.

"Huh? I didn't hear anything."

I felt a cold sensation behind me right after he said that. **(A/N: Omg…I scared myself writing that -.- I'm an idiot. I am gullible to my self. Dx) **"T-T-T-T-T-Tadase-kun? Do you feel like there's someone behind us?"

"Y-Yeah. It does feel a bit like that, huh? Wanna look?"

I nodded.

"Ok. On 3."

I nodded again. He began counting. "1…2…3!" We both turned to find a woman with pale skin, dark hair and in a white dress. We stared for about three seconds as she began to turn transparent. Then we both looked down. _NO FEET!!_

Tadase and I exchanged a look and then ran down the hallways screaming.

* * *

**-Narrator's POV-**

The ghost woman took out a remote, pressed a button and her feet appeared and stopped being transparent. She walked toward the wall, lifted a black curtain and used water from a water fountain to wash her face. She took off her wig to reveal red-brown hair.

"Wow, Sanjo, your costume worked well. They got really scared." Said Nikaido, walking out from another curtain.

"Yeah. This light bending costume is awesome."

* * *

**-Amu's POV-**

After running down the whole hallway up 3 flights of stairs, we ended up on the roof, naturally. On this roof, there are benches for people to sit in. We both sat together on one bench. I thought I saw a shape behind the door from the stairs. But, I realized it was my imagination when I saw the plant continue to bend from the wind.

"That was fun Amu-san." Tadase said smiling at me. I blushed and tried to stop myself.

"It's nothing."

He smiles again. "There's one girl in my life that makes me really happy. It's because she's always fun to be with."

_Huh?_ I looked at him surprised. "There's someone you like?"

"Yes. She's a really great person! She always listens to what I have to say. And…although sometimes she rushes into things, she's…special." He stopped speaking for a moment. "Even though I'm not number one in her heart, I just want her to be happy."

"…Tadase-kun…" _He's so brave to do that. Doesn't that hurt him?_ I thought for a moment. _Could he mean me? Maybe he mistaken me for being with Ikuto…It could be…Naw. That can't happen._ In the corner of my eye, I thought I saw something, again. But, once again, it was just my imagination.

"The thing is…I would like to find out who it is that she likes better so one day, I can become someone she likes." He turned to look at me. "Hinamori-san!" He said with a stern voice.

"Y-Yes?!"

"I have a request!"

"Yes?"

"Can you please ask her?"

_"Can you please ask her?"_ The words struck me hard as I realized what it meant for me. _It isn't me. He doesn't like me. I'm just another girl to him._

"Um…You don't have to ask Ran if you don't want to. I'm just asking."

_So it's Ran. I should have figured as much. _

He looked at me expectantly. And I was at a lost of words. _If I say no, he'll be mad at me. If I say yes, I'm just digging my love grave. The thing I want to do most right now is…cry_ I was surprise at how strange that sounded to me. I hardly ever cry in my entire life.

"It's time to go home, Amu!" a voice above me said. We looked up to see Ikuto.

"Ikuto?"

"Who's this, Amu-san?"

"Uh, Uh…"

"I am Amu's cousin's cousin's uncle's sister in law's younger sister's cousin's cousin twice removed."

We both stared at him.

"Right, Amu?"

"R-Right." I said, still a little dazed at the easy lie he made up.

"Ok, then. See you later, Amu-san." Tadase stood up and walked to the door. I didn't say anything until I heard his footsteps fade away until I couldn't hear them anymore.

"Um…Ikuto…thanks. But, next time, don't creep around changing from cat to human."

"You saw me?"

"Yes. And I thought I was seeing things. Luckily, I convinced myself that it was my imagination so I didn't get too scared. Then again there's no such thing as ghosts." We were silent for a moment.

"But I exist."

"You're not a ghost. Just some…uh…" _Well, he's something supernatural…_ I couldn't think of a word and we were silent again. "Hey, why'd you help me?" I said, breaking the silence.

"You were driving yourself into a corner. I didn't want to see him do that, not again. He's always doing that, watching not helping. I don't want anyone else hurt because of that."

"Ikuto…?"

"Ah!" He said, as if just realizing I was there. "Let's go."

* * *

The day after Tadase said he like Ran, I locked myself in my room. Only coming out for school, breakfast, and bathroom needs. Ikuto was allowed to come in, but during the time I was moping, he appeared to be, too. He just sat on the couch at the living room and just gazed off to space. I wondered if he was thinking about. _Geez. Just what happened between them that he won't tell me? _

* * *

The next day at school, Nikaido made me do errands. He explained how the ghost was created at the 'Scarier path'. He said errands were punishment for making so much noise that it made other students upset. I saw no logic in that.

When I was doing one of my errands, I saw Tadase standing by himself, looking at something. I couldn't tell what it was, though.

I did my best to walk by him and pretended not to notice, but it didn't work.

"Amu-san!"

"Y-Yes, Tadase-kun?" I didn't turn to look at him; I just paused and waited for him to speak. I couldn't look at him. I was afraid that I would start crying.

"Um…I want to speak with you about something."

_It's probably about Ran. He wants me to ask her._

"If you are thinking about last night, you don't have to talk to Ran. I asked her myself."

"R-Really?" I said, still not turning around.

"I want to talk to you about something, else. It's really important."

This time I did turn around. "Really?"

"Yes. Can I come over this afternoon, after school?"

"Y-Yea! Of course!" _I wonder what he has to tell me. What could be so important?_

He turned to walk away, but he turned back as if he remembered something. "By the way, your…uh…cousin (was it?), his name was Ikuto, right?"

"Huh? Yeah, why?"

"Wasn't your cat named Ikuto?"

_Oh shoot. I forgot! I shouldn't have called him that! Gotta lie, quick!!_ "Um…yes! He was the one who…gave me Ikuto, so I name him that!"

"Oh…really? I thought he was a stray you took in. That's what you said."

"Huh? Did I?" I started panicking. Then I remembered, when he first met Ikuto on that rainy day, I had told him I found him a few days ago. "Um…Ikuto was with me when we found him. He gave it to me because he didn't want it alone! Ahahaha…."

"Oh…Is that so…? Well, I'll see you this afternoon." He said and left.

I quickly finished my errands. I had something to look forward to this afternoon and I can't wait.

* * *

**Bip: -stares off into space – **

**Nagihiko: Bip-san?**

**Bip: -Starts crying-**

**Nagihiko: ?? What's wrong, Bip-san?!**

**Bip: No…nothing. I just finished thinking up the ending for this story –cries-**

**Nagihiko: It's going to have a sad last scene?**

**Bip: Huh? No. It's what would happen before the last scene.**

**Nagihiko: Oh, you mean like one of those last battle things?**

**Bip: Yes! –takes out a abacus and starts counting with it-**

**Nagihiko: What are you doing now?**

**Bip: Calculating how many chapters Cat's True Love, Storyline and Angel and Devil will have.**

**Nagihiko: Storyline? Angel and Devil?**

**Bip: It's a stuff to come. Oh, in storyline, you might be split.**

**Nagihiko: Split? You're being confusing today.**

* * *

**Next Chapter Title:**

Chapter 6: The Past Tadase Couldn't Remember; Ikuto's feelings

* * *

**Nagihiko: That doesn't explain very well…**

**Bip: They'll have to figure on their own…BWHAHAHAHAHA!**

**Nagihiko: -sweatdrop- Isn't there one more thing you wanted to include?**

**Bip: Oh, yes! But you say it.**

**Nagihiko: Right…Please review!**


	6. title didn't fit here, title in chap:x

**Bip: Time I have to enjoy life and not detest school and education 12/17 hours a day; I get .000000000001 time for myself after you add in the hours for homework. I don't even get Saturday or Sunday off o.o so the time I have to type this is .000000000000000000000000001. **

**Kukai: Thanks for your explanation. –munches on an apple-**

**Bip: Gyaaa! When did you get here?**

**Kukai: In the middle off you type/say that. Hey, why are you looking at me like that?**

**Bip: How much do you like ice cream?**

**Kukai: Why?**

**Bip: Answer first.**

**Kukai: Out of time! Bip does not own Shugo Chara!**

* * *

"Talking"

_Thinking_

"YELLING"

"_Person saying something special or person thinking back to what another person said. You'll have to figure it out yourself :O"_

* * *

_**Chapter 6: The Past Tadase Couldn't Remember; Ikuto's Feelings**_

**-Amu's POV-**

_Wow! I couldn't believe it! Tadase requested to talk to me! And at my house!_ I ran home as quickly as possible. Tadase was coming in an hour. I slammed the door as I went in, not bothering to lock it. I ran up the stairs, threw my bag on my bed and opened up my closet. I began throwing clothes around, looking for the perfect outfit.

"Hey!" Ikuto complained as a skirt flopped on his head. "What are you doing?"

"Huh? Weren't you in cat form?"

"I got slightly over the average form of pissed." He didn't complain as I continued to dig a hole in my drawers and closets. Then I stopped for a moment. For some reason, I felt a tension in the air.

"Hey, Amu." Ikuto began. "Are you…happy?"

I faced him with a confused look.

"I mean, with your current life."

I turned back to the piles of clothes in front of me and thought for awhile. "No…not really." We sat in silence for a while.

"Why not? You have a great family."

"Yeah, but, I don't think I've told you, but…I…don't really have a true friend." He looked surprised that I said that. "You see, every year, me and my family move to a different country. To have good experiences, I guess. I have to learn new languages and any friends I've possibly made, I'll never, ever see again."

I didn't say anything as I thought of my so called experiences with friends. "But!" I turned to face Ikuto completely "Ikuto is! Ikuto is my first ever friend!"

Ikuto looked very surprised to hear me say this. "…Amu…I…" he reached over and leaned closer to me. And just as he was about to say something, the door banged open. Ikuto ducked under the bed.

"Amu-chan! We're going shopping so you have to watch the house!" my dad exclaimed.

"Ok! Ok! Go, then!" I was pissed that they cut off what Ikuto was about to say.

After the trio of them left, Ikuto came out from under the bed.

"Um…Ikuto…What were you about to say before?"

"Huh? Nothing. By the way, do you still like Tadase?"

I was caught off guard by this question. "Yes…He is my first love I guess. I've never been to a place long enough to love anyone."

"Is. That. So?" His voice sounded as if he was holding back from shouting.

I turned to face him, again. "Is something the…" He looked really angry. "Ikuto, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." He said in the same tone of voice. "I'm going out." He jumped out the balcony before I could say anything.

"…Ikuto…?"

* * *

Tadase arrived exactly on time. Not a second earlier, not a second later. I had chosen the perfect outfit. **(A/N: Plz use your imagination for her outfit. No good on that :X)**

"Tadase-kun! Welcome!"

"Thanks for having me over, Amu-san." I showed him the way to the living room and he glance around the way a person visiting a 'for sale' house would. He sat down on the couch as I prepared tea. "Your parents aren't home?"

"No." I sat down on an armchair next to the couch. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Well…It's about…" he paused for a while. "It's about your cat Ikuto."

_Huh? I did not expect this._

"You see, I have no memory of my childhood."

This piqued my interest. Never have I thought about Tadase's childhood. I assumed it was just something ordinary.

"Never in my house was a picture of me under five years old. Whenever I asked my parents about the fact there weren't any pictures of me, they'd change the subject. When I ask why I can't remember what happened during my childhood, they'd stay quiet and then change the subject."

_What does that have to do with me?_

"You're probably curious about why I'm telling you this. Do you remember when I was looking for your cat with you?"

I nodded. I remember all too clearly how his expression was and Ikuto's anger.

"That time…what happened?"

I looked at him in confusion. He played around with his cup. "How should I put it…From what I remembered, I saw your cat. He was glaring at you. And then…I was at my house. I don't remember what happened. Not a bit of the passage back."

"I was talking with Ran about this. She says that because both this memory and my childhood memories disappeared, they're probably connected. She says memory lost has to do with shock. Something in my childhood shocked me enough to have me forget. And Ikuto had something to do with it."

I bit my lip when he finished his story. I didn't know how to respond. I thought back to how he reacted when he saw Ikuto. I wanted to help Tadase more than anything. I didn't know why, but I felt like it would bring me closer to both Tadase and Ikuto. I wanted to find out more about Ikuto and I am going to do it anyway I can. "That time…"

Tadase looked up.

"That time…when you saw Ikuto, you looked like you were in pain and you regretted something a lot. He looked like he was really angry at you. Then, you left in a hurry."

"Is that so?" He glanced down at his tea, deep in thought. "Amu-san, can I see Ikuto right now?"

"He's out. Cat's need out, too. He'll come back later." I wanted him to stay longer. "I'll go get you more tea." I took his cup and went into the kitchen.

* * *

_So…Ikuto knew Tadase in his childhood…_ I thought as I stirred the tea leaves. _Wait a minute…Tadase said that he couldn't remember before he was 5. That was at least 6 years ago! Ikuto has to be around for at least 6 years…that would make him a middle-aged cat! But, why? He looks like a teenaged boy every time he transformed!_ I stopped stirring the tea for a moment. I realized that, my knowledge of Ikuto before had been miniscule, but, now with this information, my knowledge of him perhaps doubled but my questions tripled. _Just who is Ikuto? __What__ is Ikuto?_

I finished stirring the tea and headed out of the kitchen.

* * *

"Tadase-kun, I have…" My cheery voice trailed away quickly as I saw what was going on. Ikuto in cat form sat on a table glaring at him. Tadase stood in front of him. His eyes vacant as if he wasn't really there. His expression was pained and scared.

"No…" I heard Tadase mumble. "Don't do that."

"Tadase-kun?" I inched closer to him.

"DON'T HURT HIM ANYMORE!" Tadase seemed to scream at the top of his lungs. Right after he said that, his eyes closed, he fell down on the couch and appeared to be asleep.

"TADASE-KUN!" I yelled in a worried voice. I dropped the tray of tea, not caring that it spilled all over the carpet.

I shook him to see if I could wake him. "Ikuto! What happened to him?!"

He was in cat form by now. "The past was too much for him, I guess."

I glanced at him with worried eyes. "Just what happened…between you two?"

He glared at me. "It's none of your concern!" He said in a stern voice.

I flinched at his tone. He looked like he wanted to take that back. "Amu…I don't want you to be around Tadase too much."

"Why not?"

"He wouldn't be able to protect you if there's any danger."

"Why would there be danger?"

"If I'm not certain of his whereabouts, who knows what he'll do. He'll come back to hurt Tadase. And if you're around Tadase, you'll get hurt, too. And…I can't let that happen. No matter what."

After saying that, he turned around and walked upstairs. I heard him slam my door upstairs. "That's my room, Ikuto!" I sighed. _This is just weird. Why would someone hurt Tadase? And if the person's goal is Tadase, then why would he aim for me too?_

* * *

I walked up the stairs after putting a blanket on Tadase, he was sleeping peacefully. I was glad the door was unlocked and then I heard Ikuto's voice.

"No, I can't leave at that time of the day." There was a pause. "Hell, no. That's ridiculous, how can I visit Hokkaido in 2 hours?"

Curious, I opened the door a crack. He was sitting on my bed, facing away from me. He appeared to be talking on the phone. _When did he get a cell phone?_

"Yeah, I can be there at that time. Yes I can get there, I can take the bus. Wait, let me just write this down." He ripped a piece of paper from my notebook. _How dare he touch my stuff!_ He quickly scribbled down an address. "Are you sure _you_ can be there on time? Didn't you have a–"

There was a long pause. It appeared the person on the phone was yelling at him.

"Yeah, but you're such a scatterbrain."

"I'M NOT A SCATTERBRIAN!! YOU ANNOYING JERK. BE GLAD I'M DOING YOU A FAVER!" The person on the other side of the phone yelled. I could hear it from where I was standing.

"OW!" Ikuto said. "And I'm not asking this for free. I already got what you wanted! You useless scatterbrain!" He moved the phone away from his ear.

"CALL ME A SCATTERBRAIN ONE MORE TIME AND I WON'T HELP YOU." Ikuto moved the phone back to his ear.

"Right, right. See you there." He ended the call on his cell phone and put it in his pocket. However, he left the piece of paper where he wrote the address on my desk. Without noticing I was there, he leapt out of my balcony, again. _Show off._

I waited for about ten minutes, to make sure he was gone. I walked to my desk and picked up the paper. Written in a neat handwriting, it said: Love Park xx street xx avenue Saturday at 3 remember to bring stuff or else she'll chew my head off. I made up my mind. I'm going to follow him and find out what he's up to.

* * *

That night, I stared at the ceiling of my room, thinking. _The note said 'she'._ At the thought of him seeing someone, my heart suddenly hurt really badly. Although it only lasted a second, I still felt the aftereffects of pain fading away. _There's no reason for this. It's probably just that I didn't want to let Ikuto grow up, kind of like an overprotective mother._ I continued to convince myself with this for at least 10 minutes.

I shifted in my bed and looked down to where Ikuto slept in his little bed. My parents hadn't gotten him a proper cat bed **(A/N: I currently for got what that was called X0)**. He was sleeping so peacefully and something about that made me really happy. And I wished that I can continue to be happy and watch him in this peaceful sleep forever.

* * *

**-Ikuto's Pov-**

I knew Amu was still awake. She just kept tossing and turning around. I had to wait a long time until her breathing was even and I was certain that she was asleep. I crept out of my makeshift bed and transformed as quickly as possible. This time, I used the door. I thought I should act if not a lot, a little civilized instead of jumping out of windows.

There was a light breeze as I walked through the streets. I stopped at a dark alley, really dark now that it was early morning. I walked calmly through it. I remembered the decision I made back then.

-Flashback-

A girl with blonde hair stood before me as I stood up. I was walking on two feet. I was human.

"Ikuto, you're a human now." she said to me. "You get another chance."

"Another chance?"

"This time you're a human. You can change back to a cat but, you can be human, too." She said as she jumped up a dumpster with grace and grabbed a ladder and continued to jump as she went high up the building with ease and didn't trip until the end when the wind seem to blow something off her head and for the first time, I noticed something attached to her back. I realized I was just seeing things and it was just her dress and that there was nothing on her head, it was just light reflected off her hair.

"Oh yeah, Ikuto, from now on if you have any questions, I'll be here. Come in your human form. If you don't like this place because of the memories…"

"No, it's fine. I'll get over it. It's just a matter of time." I said shaking memories from my head. "This second chance…does it let me live forever until I can find it?"

The girl glanced at me with a look I didn't recognize. However, I have seen it on others faces when they looked at me. People who walk by me when I'm on the streets.

"No. When you're close to finding what you're looking for, I'll inform you. After that, you have a set date."

-End Flashback-

I realized what that look she gave me by now. The same look on people when my owner left me and my siblings in a cardboard box for people to take. It was a look of pity. I understood why the people on the streets would pity me but, I never understood why she pitied me.

"Where are you, you airhead?" I called. It wasn't long until she was sitting above me on a fire escape. I sat on the dumpster.

"You didn't have to come here." She said. "I would have known naturally."

"Hn. So, now it's a bad thing to come here?"

She frowned. "No, but…I just wish that the happiness…" Before she finished her sentence, she leapt down in a swift way down on to the dumpster. It was like an inhumane grace. In the moonlight, I seemed to have seen something on her back, but, again, I realized my eyes were playing tricks on me. "…you are looking for, didn't take form as love."

"What?" I asked her with a question look. Although I was in confusion, some small part of my brain seems to understand. It wasn't something the rest of my brain can comprehend, though. "I think of Amu as a really caring sister. They really are like a family to me." _Amu especially._

She sighed and sat next to me. "Ikuto, why bother denying yourself. It's obvious you love her."

My entire brain understood, now. It was unusual how she can totally convince me. _I do love her. More than I realized. The way she cares for me and the way she surprises me with everything she says and does. The way I want to make her happy no matter what._ I remembered the way I was before, ignoring everything in life and always angry, she was different, I couldn't ignore her.

She smiled. "You understand, now."

"Yeah. I can live as human now, right?"

She frowned and that look of pity returned to her face. "I'm sorry. There's more to that. Because your happiness took form of love…you have to wait for her to return her love to you. And what's more, can you really fall in love with a human. You're a cat, remember that. And please remember, she has someone she loves, too. You only realized you loved her only because I was able to tell you, to stop you from denying, it's harder with her. She'll keep denying simply because you're a cat."

"I'll make it in time."

"I hope so."

* * *

**-Narrator's POV-**

On Saturday, Amu really did follow Ikuto. She was even hiding in the shrubs in case he turned around. He hid behind a tree to go from cat to human. He also appeared from the tree with a bag in his hands. He soon arrived to the park through subway. _Where on earth did he get a subway card?_ Amu thought.

He sat down on a bench at around 2:45. _Wow. He'd make a good boyfriend, arriving earlier._ Amu shook her head. _What am I thinking?!_

Amu thought for a moment. _Something's wrong. There's something important about today. I remember wanting to come here myself because of an event here._

It hit Amu the moment a crowd headed this way, in the center of it was Utau Hoshina.

* * *

**Bip: Yahoo! Ikuto loves Amu!**

**Kukai: That was sooner than expected.**

**Bip: I thought it was about time. :) **

**Kukai: Hmm…I thought you liked love that fosters over time?**

**Bip: I do, but this was enough. I'm worried I'm not doing Ikuto's personality like it should be… Anyways, Kukai, how much do you like ice cream?**

**Kukai: Shoot. I thought you forgot. Enough to run up a skyscraper for it.**

**Bip: O.o Just like in Shugo Chara Truth and Dare, huh?**

**Kukai: …yes…**

* * *

I have like no more ideas for making previews interesting…o.O. So until I do, I'll just explain how this story came to be… (Aren't I lame?)

Q: Where did this story come from?

A: I think I was reading too much Guru Guru Pon-chan. -.-

Q: Which part of the story was decided first?

A: hm…When she first sees Ikuto as a boy when she left him in the bathtub.

* * *

**Kukai: Hmm…that's interesting. What were you doing when you thought of that?**

**Bip: …Hm…I think I was sleeping or showering…maybe…O.o Woah! Why are you here again??**

**Kukai: I forgot something. Please review!**

**Bip: oh…-.-**


	7. Ikuto and Utau

**Bip: Whoot! I am finally starting this. Just to make you guys happy :)**

**Tadase: Yeah. About time.**

**Bip: Well, I had time tod… AHHH!**

**Tadase: ?**

**Bip: You scared the heck outta me!**

**Tadase: -.- I'm not that scary…**

**Bip: Me no like surprises.**

**Tadase: Ah, incomplete sentences coming from someone going to cram school. Bip does not own Shugo Chara. **

* * *

"Talking"

_Thinking_

"YELLING"

"_Person saying something special or person thinking back to what another person said. You'll have to figure it out yourself :O"_

* * *

_**Chapter 7**__**；**__**Ikuto and Utau**_

**-Amu's POV-**

I watched as Utau's bodyguard shooed away the crowd. It was amazing how one person can make that huge crowd leave. Just one cold stare, most of the guys left. Just one smile and all the girls melted and fainted.

"Utau!" I heard Ikuto say. I turned my vision to them. "You're late, you scatterbrain."

_Ikuto was waiting for Utau._ My vision went monochrome for a second.I continued to stare at them until the world was correct again.

"I. Told. You. Not. To. Call. Me. A. SCATTERBRAIN!" Utau yelled. "You jerk! You're so lucky that Yoru isn't here to hear me explode on you because he'll explode on you with punches and kicks!"

"Um…Ok?" Ikuto replied. But I heard him mutter "I can beat him up with one hand."

"I heard that." Utau said. "Next time we meet, I should give him the chance to beat you up."

_Ok. It's Ok. It looks like they're just friends or maybe even less. There's no way two people who act like that to each other can have a relationship._

"Anyways." Ikuto said, lifting up the bag. "Here you go. I went and bought it for you."

Utau looked up, surprised. "I didn't think you'd actually do that for me."

"Oh, you don't want it now that I bought it for you?" Ikuto was slightly pissed.

_Wait a minute…_

Utau took the bag shyly. The same way a girl would take something from the person they like. She looked in the bag and flipped something around in it. She turned to look up at Ikuto. She smiled a huge smile. "Thank you so much, Ikuto!"

_No, no way. They are a couple, they were just pissed before. They act just like a shy couple._

"Just take it! Now,…" their voice trailed off and I couldn't hear them. I stayed hidden from there view, but even I didn't know that I was inching closer to them. Wanting to hear what they were saying.

Pretty soon, I was close enough to hear them. But, if they turned around, they would see me. Yoru was still busy with the crowd so he wasn't able to notice me.

"I'm not comfortable asking out loud." Ikuto said

"Fine then, whisper it. If it's so important, for crying out loud." Utau complained.

"Geez, it's h—"

I interrupted him with a gasp. I didn't even know why I gasped. But, I did. And what's done is done. They both turned to look at me. It's impossible to say I just passed by or hide, now.

"Amu? What are you doing here?"

"N-Nothing!" I said and ran away.

**-Narrator's POV-**

"Was that your girlfriend?" Utau asked. _How long has she been there? Depending on how long, she might know my secret!_

"No."

"Then tell me what you want me to know and go after her already! That's the girl you like, right?"

Ikuto didn't respond. Utau raised an eyebrow. "Is it that obvious?"

"I'm smarter than the rest."

"Yes, I can tell from the stuff you asked me to buy. I just can't believe the great singer Utau Hoshina…is a nerd." He said pointing at the books in her bag. "Well, not a nerd. My bad, failing."

He had done it, now. She was pissed. "SHUT UP! I WON'T HELP YOU IF THIS KEEPS UP!"

"What ever. Here." He handed her a piece of paper. "Just look that up!" He said and ran in the direction Amu ran in.

"Tch. Couldn't he just have given me this paper and left instead of making me mad?" _I'll just postpone doing this to get him annoyed._

"Hey, Yoru!" Utau yelled. "Time to go!"

* * *

**-Amu's POV-**

_Stupid Ikuto!_ I didn't know how fast I was running, but before I knew it, I was a few blocks away from my house. _Why am I running?_

"Amu!" Ikuto's voice came calling.

Anger and rage came boiling up again. I turned around to face him.

"I hate you, Ikuto!" And strangest thing, I could tell I really meant it. He didn't say anything. He just stared at me. Not wide eyed or anything, just a plain stare.

I could tell I was making an ugly face, too. Probably twisted with hatred. It wasn't like when a comic book heroine makes a mistake saying that and wants to take it back. I just turned around and ran all the way back home really angry. _Why am I so mad? Should I really have said that? Yes, I think that was the right thing. But, why am I so mad? I just don't get it._

* * *

**-Narrator's POV-**

Amu got home and locked herself in her room. She sat on her bed and hugged her pillow. _Why? Why did I get mad?_ The question just kept repeating over and over in her head. There was no way of getting it out of her mind. _Why does it feel like my heart is breaking in two?_ That was another question. She hugged the pillow harder. _Why? Why? WHY?_

A scratching at the door broke her thoughts. She thought she imagined it, but there was another scratch accompanied by a meow. A burning rage and sadness came up and she threw the pillow at the door. "GO AWAY, IKUTO!"

The scratching stopped. On the other side of the door, Ikuto sat thinking. _Geez, what did I do wrong?_ Ikuto continued to sit there, not moving. Ikuto thought back to a conversation he had with her.

-Flashback-

"Hey, do you like Utau?"

"No."

"Then why do you always look at her so much?"

"She…reminds me a lot of someone."

"Who?"

-End of Flashback-

_Oh. She thinks I like Utau. She thinks I lied about her just looking like someone._ Ikuto smiled at the fact Amu was so childish. _Getting mad like that just about a lie._ Ikuto turned to walk away. _Well, I'll apologize in a little bit. It'll be good for her to be mad at me for a little while._ Ikuto thought about what the girl said: _"I'm sorry. There's more to that. Because your happiness took form of love…you have to wait for her to return her love to you. And what's more, can you really fall in love with a human. You're a cat, remember that. And please remember, she has someone she loves, too. You only realized you loved her only because I was able to tell you, to stop you from denying, it's harder with her. She'll keep denying simply because you're a cat."_

Ikuto walked to a nearby window and jumped out.

* * *

**-Amu's POV-**

I sighed. I wasn't so angry anymore, just kind of hurt. I still couldn't figure it out, though. But, I think I can forgive Ikuto, now.

"AMU!!!" My mom called from downstairs. "YOUR FRIEND IS HERE!"

_Huh? I don't remember giving anyone my address other than Tadase and he said his parents were taking him somewhere today._

I walked down the stairs, slowly. Thinking about who it could be.

"It's wonderful that Amu has so many friends." I heard my mom say to the person standing at the door.

I poked my head out first to see who it was and ended up yelling "WHAAAAAAAT?!" The entire student council, excluding Tadase, was standing there smiling and waving, excluding Kairi and Rima.

"W-W-W-W-WHAAAA ARE YOU PEOPLE DOING HERE?!"

"Hi Amu-chi!" Yaya said coming in and making herself at home by sitting on the couch and opening the T.V.

"Yaya, take off your coat, first." Nagihiko said patiently as he hung his coat up. The rest of them did the same. **(A/N: The time is around Nov…here too. Didn't I time this great :P)**

"Yaya doesn't want to!"

"Fine, you can sweat later." Said Kukai. "Now, give me the coat." The two continued to argue as I stared at them in shock.

Finally, I found my voice. "What are you people doing here?!"

"We got kicked out of Nagihiko's place so we came to the closest house available." Rima said.

"WHY DO YOU OF ALL PEOPLE KNOW MY ADDRESS?!"

All of them turned to look at me. "Because we're the student council."

"THAT'S A MISUSE OF POWER! YOU'RE INVADING PRIVACY! DICTATORS!..." I continued to ramble at whatever I could think of in my shock of seeing a group of people I barely talk to in my house.

"I thought anyone in our school would be happy for us to visit them." Kairi said, writing stuff down in a notebook. "I have to make a list of those who wouldn't like it…"

"Anyways, here." Kukai said giving me an envelope. "We were making these before we got kicked out. We were going to give them out anyways."

"Give them out? Why not just give it to everyone tomorrow?" I asked as I took the envelope.

"Oh…Well…the party is tomorrow…and we had a tight schedule." Kukai said explaining everything. "We thought the students should relax a little and have fun. Anyone under 18 is allowed to come!"

"But, some people live pretty far away! How are you going to give them out?"

"We'll make it!" Yaya said. "If it's for students with lots of stress with the first semester over, we'll do what it takes to help them!"

I was surprised that Yaya sounded so mature.

"AMU-CHI! DO YOU HAVE ANY ICE CREAM?!"

For them moment anyways. I walked to the freezer to get her some ice cream. "Who eats ice cream when it's this cold out?" I muttered to myself. _Huh. This is the first time I've really talked with the entire student government. Who knew they were really like this?_

I returned to the living room with the ice cream…to find that they have all passed out. For the first time I noticed the pile of envelopes they were carrying in their backpacks and the dark circles under their eyes. I sighed. "How can they be so mature and immature at the same time?" Some of them were sleeping on the floor.

I picked up the school bags and Kairi's book of addresses and went out the door.

* * *

When I returned home, the people staying over were in panic.

"OMIGOSH! OMIGOSH!" Yaya and Kukai ran around yelling. Nagihiko looked worried. Kairi looked pissed. Even Rima looked slightly troubled.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Bad move. Kukai and Yaya stopped moving and starting waving arms and yelling in loud voices to explain what happened.

After they finished killing of my eardrums and making me fall on my butt after coming too close to explain, I held out Kairi's notebook. "Sorry I took it without permission."

Kairi snatched the notebook. "And where are the letters we worked for two days and nights on without sleep?"

"YOU TOOK IT?!" Everyone except Kairi said in unison.

"Yeah. I saw that everyone seemed to be tired from working hard, so I decided to help you out…" I said sheepishly. This wasn't something I would normally do. I wonder if this is like having friends over.

"Oh." Nagihiko said. "You didn't have to do that for us."

"Yeah. The student government does things for the students, not the other way around." Rima said.

"It's Ok." I said. I defiantly have more respect for them, now. They weren't the people I thought that were taking advantage of their power. They were just trying to make things easier for us. "Oh, Kairi, can I have your notebook for a moment."

He looked at me with suspicion and then he gave me the notebook. _He really treasures this thing, huh._ I flipped to the page he wrote in recently. It was the page with people who wouldn't want to be visited by the student government. There were, surprisingly, a few other names among mine. I took a pen and crossed my name out and handed it back to Kairi. "You guys can come over anytime." I said smiling.

Now, there's just one more thing to do…

* * *

A few hours after they, my new friends, left, I went up to my room. I took a deep breath and opened the door. I knew Ikuto was there and he was. He wasn't in cat form, though. He was human.

"Um…" we both said at the same time.

"Y…You can go first." I offered.

"No. It's not that important. You say what you need to say."

I took a breath. I hoped he would forgive me. "There's a party tomorrow. I was wondering if you'd like to come…with…me…"

He looked surprised for a moment and then he smiled. "Sure. I've got nothing to do tomorrow."

I smiled too. In our own way, we have forgiven each other.

* * *

**Bip: YES!!!!!! I HAVE FINISHED!**

**Tadase: Yes…about time -.- It took you a whole month.**

**Bip: I WAS BUSY!**

**Tadase: Sure. You're talking on aim right now.**

**Bip: -.-# Why does everyone around me enjoy pissing me off? Why are all my friends so sadistic?**

**Tadase: So I'm your friend now?**

**Bip: Yes. I pity you v.v everyone hates you. But I am a kind person.**

**Tadase: …I'm not sure about that…I remember a friend of yours which you smacked so hard with a folder, it made a noise o.o**

**Bip: …You might want to run. :) Because the same is probably about to happen to you.**

**Tadase: O.O Pleasereview! – Runs away-**

* * *

Well…I wasn't really planning all that for the part where the rest of the guardians came into the story. O__o I just wanted a way for Amu and Ikuto to make up. Do you want to know more about the story's planning? No? Too bad. You're going to have to know now.

Q: Is Tadase the villain of the story?

A: Sorry, everyone. He's not, there really isn't too much of a villain in this story. But if you mean who is causing Ikuto grief, it's (still not Tadase) someone who isn't in the anime.

Q: What is Ikuto, really?

A: I can't answer that. But, maybe you guys have figured it out. :) I left some clues, but I'd like to hear what you think. (LOL. I sound like a real author.)

Q: Will Tadase die?

A: No. .______.

Q: When are you going to update?

A: When I have time.

* * *

C'ya next time =3


	8. The Party Part 1

**Bip: All right! No more cram school! –Bip is yelling to the waves on a cliff-**

**Rima: …**

**Bip: Oh? Rima? It's you this time? –Takes out a long piece of paper and inspects it-**

**Rima: Stupid.**

**Bip: What was that?**

**Rima: Bip is stupid. Bip does not own Shugo Chara.**

* * *

"Talking"

_Thinking_

"YELLING"

"_Person saying something special or person thinking back to what another person said. You'll have to figure it out yourself :O"_

* * *

_**Chapter 8: The Party Part 1**_

**-Amu's POV-**

I had just finished getting dressed up for the party. They told me it was going to be in a really fancy restaurant. _How are they going to pay for that?_ I wondered as I started dressing up. I couldn't decide, casual clothes or not? I mean, they said it was a fancy restaurant, but it's only going to be kids…

Ikuto watched as I dashed to the closet, to my dresser, and back and forth. And I was just looking for an _outfit._ As I was searching around in my closet, Ikuto transformed. "Amu. Just how long do you plan to dash around the room?"

"I don't know what to wear!" I screamed, maybe a little too loudly. I heard my mom walk up the stairs.

"Is everything alright, Amu?" she said, starting to open the door. I threw my blanket on top of Ikuto. And to my relieve, the lump on the blanket disappeared until it was a shape of a cat and he crawled out from underneath, a little pissed. "Amu, what's wrong? I heard you're having a dilemma." My mom said as she opened the door fully smiling.

"Uh. Yeah." _Is it really a good idea to let a mom help me find an outfit?_

* * *

Somehow, my mom was able to choose a good outfit. Skinny jeans, shoes with thick soles (not sneakers), a white blouse with puffy frills at the sleeves (only), and a mid-drift black coat. It didn't look too casual or too formal. My mom left after we were both pleased with the outfit.

Ikuto was transformed and in his usual outfit. "Why don't you change, too?" I asked him. "My dad shouldn't mind you borrowing his outfits."

His eyebrows furrowed in both confusion and slight anger. "Amu, these clothes are equal to my pelt."

I must have had a very surprised look after I heard that because he asked "You didn't know that."

"No. I didn't. I thought you stole those clothes form a store the first transformed."

"Stole—" Ikuto said in disbelieve. He shook his head.

"I thought your pelt was blue." I continued. "Your clothes are black with red designs."

He sighed and it pissed me off, slightly. It was one of those sighs that someone makes when they get tired of explaining you. "It's just what happened, Ok. I transformed with these clothes. I don't think I can take these off. I haven't tried…" I made a face. "What's that look for?" he asked.

"Why don't you go take a bath before you go?" I said, opening the door for him to go through.

"That's not necessary, you dimwit!" Ikuto yelled. "You've dunked me into the tub countless times this week!"

"But not today." I said as I pushed him in to the bathroom. I left him to handle it by himself. I few minutes later, my dad yelled "Who locked the bathroom door from the inside?!"

_Oh well. He'll be out in a little bit._

* * *

**-Narrator's POV-**

Ikuto and Amu arrived pretty late. Everyone else was already there. Apparently, it was not a dance party. Yaya was welcoming the guests.

"Amu-chi!" Yaya greeted them when they got passed the glass doors and into a blindingly beautiful ballroom. "The party is on the second floor. You're the last to arrive. You had to make Yaya stand there for an extra 15 minutes."

"…Ah…sorry." Amu said, sweat dropping. _Wow, for a 3__rd__ grader, she acts way younger than she really is._

"Amu-chi…? Is this your boyfriend?" Yaya said looking at Ikuto.

"Wha-What?" Amu almost screamed. "H-He's my cousin's cousin's uncle's sister in law's younger sister's cousin's cousin twice removed!" Amu said, flustered. _I can't believe I just said that._ _In fact, I can't believe I remembered that._

"But, you're blushing." Yaya muttered.

"H-Huh?" Amu said, getting more flustered.

"I'll go turn on the AC!"

"But, Yaya! It's in the middle of winter!" Amu yelled and followed her. Ikuto sighed and continued up the stairs to the party as the other two sped off at the other direction, down the stairs.

At the second floor, Ikuto stopped to gaze at the door that was at least 15 feet tall. _Are elementary students really paying for this?_ He pushed the door opened a little and there was a crash. In front of him was a girl with blue hair dressed in all different shades of blue. She was sitting on the floor, knocked down by the door when Ikuto pushed it.

"Aw, geez, you made me drop my food." She turned to look up at Ikuto. "Yoru!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Before Ikuto can answer, a bunch of guys came over. "Miki-san! Are you all right? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine! I'm fine!" Miki said, annoyed. "Now, leave me alone!"

_Ah, the results of popularity._ Ikuto thought.

"Yoru? What are you doing here?" Miki asked again.

"Do I look like Yoru to you? Yoru is the last guy I'd like to see now. He's always jumping to conclusions." Ikuto said, sighing.

"Oh…sorry. I had mistaken you for someone else." Miki said. _Actually, my friend, you look like Yoru's twin_.

Ikuto sighed and walked on. There were so many faces he seemed to recognize, yet he didn't. "Um, can I help you?" a boy's voice said from behind him.

The green haired boy continued. "I didn't think you were in our school. Are you an acquaintance of one of the students? If you're not, I'm calling security."

Ikuto raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I'm Amu Hinamori's cousin's cousin's uncle's sister in law's younger sister's cousin's cousin twice removed, Ikuto."

It was his turn to raise an eyebrow. "Nice to meet you. My name is Musashi." Then another guy with came up to him. He had sea green hair. _And I thought my hair was unusual._ Ikuto thought.

"Hey, Musashi, you know all the schedules for the events here, right."

_Figures, he's the one with the entire schedule. I mean he looks like a nerd._ Ikuto sighed and looked around.

"I believe Kairi has the entire schedule."

"Well, Kusa-kusa wants to know when the comedy act is. She's giggling out of nervousness."

"Ah, yea, it's the third event." Musashi answered without looking at any papers. "Right after the samurai match."

Ikuto walked away, not bothering to listen to the rest of the conversation. Ikuto walked to a corner and tried to be invisible, but no matter what, a bunch of girls kept staring at him. Soon, Ikuto noticed a brown haired girl running around yelling "Where's the cookies? Where's the cookie?"

_What was her name again?_ Ikuto thought as he tried to remember everyone's name. "Ah, Yaya! Hey, Yaya!" Ikuto said, trying to follow her. _I could swear she was with Amu_. The girl finally turned to look at Ikuto.

"My name is not Yaya. My name is Pepe." She said and took off running again, looking for milk this time.

Ikuto sighed and tried to melt into the shadows, but he still caught the eyes of a few girls. He didn't bother to make eye contact. He didn't even bother looking for Amu. It was probably better to just wait for her.

"Ikuto-san?" A voice said and broke Ikuto's concentration. This voice was too familiar to him.

"Tadase!" Ikuto cried out in surprise.

"I'm glad you remembered my name!" Tadase said and smiled.

Ikuto looked surprised for a moment. Then he turned away. "It's a easy name to remember." _At least for me._

"Well, I'm glad you came, please enjoy the party!"

Ikuto quickly nodded and walked out of the room and to the main entrance of the party.

* * *

**-Ikuto's POV-**

_Damn it! Why did he have to smile like the way he always did?_ I thought, pissed. _He is the last person I want to remember!_ But, no matter how I tried to avoid thinking about it, I still remembered the days when we were all so happy. I could still remember the way him and his family would pet me. _So how did everything change like this?_

"Ikuto!" a voice called.

I turned around quickly. I recognized this voice automatically. "Amu!"

"Ah, Ikuto –" Ｉcut her off by hugging her tightly. "H-Huh? Ikuto? Ikuto, what's wrong?" Amu stuttered. "Hey, hey, Ikuto!"

I didn't let go. _Please, don't let things go wrong this time. Please let me stay happy with Amu._

* * *

**Bip: Whoohoo! Part one done! Now to plan for part 2…-dies-**

**Rima: …Shouldn't this be all planned out already?**

**Bip: …It basically is…**

**Rima: Then why are you dying?**

**Bip: I need it to be longer. **

**Rima: Then why didn't you continue it from here?**

**Bip: Because that seemed like the right place to stop…**

**Rima: But wasn't the next part supposed to be important? –Starts reading from a notebook-**

**Bip: Yeah…I guess…but that's only if I ever decide to make a sequel T-T**

**Rima: … -sighs- Please review.**

* * *

Q: WILL THERE BE A SEQUEL? (Taken from above)

A: MAYBE!

Q: Will the ending be happy?

A: …erffs

Q: Please answer the question above.

A: Depends on how you interpret it.

Q: …Ok…Next question. How many chapters will this story have?

A: Um…I want it to be under 20, but who knows.

Q: -eyes suspiciously- You have planned the ending, right?

A: Of course. It's just a matter of filler chapters filled with Amuto =D

* * *

**SEE YOU NEXT TIME!**


	9. The Party Part 2

**Bip: NOO! I'VE BEEN SENT BACK TO CRAM SCHOOL –cries a lake-**

**Yaya: …for once I'm the one speechless…**

**Bip: -drowning in tears-**

**Yaya: Let's get this moving…Bip-chan does not own Shugo Chara or Yaya or Pepe or etc. Peach Pit does!**

* * *

"Talking"

_Thinking_

"YELLING"

"_Person saying something special or person thinking back to what another person said. You'll have to figure it out yourself :O"_

* * *

_**Chapter 9: The Party Part 2**_

**-Amu's POV-**

"Ikuto! Is something the matter?!" I asked. Hugging me out of the blue, that was really unexpected. He didn't answer. "Ikuto!"

We stayed silent for a moment. Then, I reached up and pat him. "Um…Ikuto…it's cold out…let's go back inside." I suggested this because I knew I was blushing, now, after being hugged by someone for so long. "Ikuto?"

"Yea." He finally responded and freed me from his grip. We went in through the doors and started up the staircase. I was looking down at the carpet so he wouldn't notice how red my face may be. So I almost walked into him when he stopped.

"Who are you?" Ikuto asked the person in front of him. I looked up. It was a girl, about my age. She had short black hair and eyes with red glasses. And for some reason, slightly familiar.

The girl smiled. "You should know…"

"What?" Ikuto asked. "I don't remember seeing you at the party."

"I wasn't at the party. Do I look like I'm dressed for a party?" she responded, still smiling, as if she was telling a joke. I looked at her outfit and realized she was right. She was wearing a faded pair of black jeans and a hoodie. "Anyways, it doesn't matter who I am. Not right now. But, I will see you again in the near future, Hinamori-san." She said and left.

"Wait!" Ikuto yelled. "What do you mean…" We turned the corner, but no one was there and it was a dead end in that direction.

_Wait a minute…she ran this way…but there's no one here…and it's a dead end…_ "AHHH! IT'S A GHOST!" I yelled and ran down the hallway towards the ballroom.

"Wait, Amu, there's no such thing as a…" His voice trailed off as I ran away.

* * *

**-Narrator's POV-**

"What did you think you were doing?" the blonde girl said. **(A/N: The girl that looks like Utau, but maybe you've already figured out who it is (; )** She was frowning towards a red haired girl.

"Oh, did you think I was wrong?" The girl responded. She looked strangely, a lot like Amu.

"Of course you were, Chihana. The future isn't decided." The blonde said. "Their future isn't set; the time for her to choose isn't set either."

"It may not be said, but it can be predicted." Chihana said, smiling evilly. "And I predict they won't have a happy ending."

"YOU DON'T KNOW THAT!" She screamed. "I believe that their fates will turn out alright! I…"

"What is it? You're unsure now after you said that?"

"I'M THEIR GUARDIAN ANGEL, NOT YOU SO STAY AWAY!"

"Hmph." Chihana said, clearly upset at the fact she was able to retaliate. "Fine. Do as you wish, Eru."

* * *

**-Amu's POV-**

I stayed in the corner, behind a table, shuddering. I had no idea I was this afraid of ghosts. Must be effects from the Halloween last month. Then I thought for a moment. _Why did she seem so familiar? I'm certain I've never met her before…And Ikuto seemed to have recognized her slightly…_The more I thought about it, the more confused I was. _If Ikuto did recognize her, why did he ask who she is? If he didn't know her, why was he so surprised that he stopped? If he didn't know her, he would just walk past her; it wasn't like she was taking up the entire staircase…_

"…mu! Amu!"

"H-Huh?" I said surprised.

"Amu, why are you hiding here?" Ikuto said, moving a chair away from my face.

"Um…" I said blushing. I didn't want to admit I was scared.

"Amu…You're afraid of ghosts?"

"No! No, I'm not!" I yelled

"Ow…I think you killed my eardrums…" He said then he faced me with a mischievous grin. "You're flustered. So you are afraid."

"I…" I jumped in anger and yelled out "I'M NOT AFRAID OF GHOSTS!" When I was finished, everyone turned to look at me. "Oh. Whoops."

"Hinamori-senpai is afraid of ghosts?" said one 3rd grader.

"Yea. She just jumped up saying she isn't, that kinda proves it, huh."

I sweat dropped. Ikuto turned around so no one can see the fact he was laughing other than me.

"Ikuto. Let's. Go." I walked away from the table corner. As I walked, everyone made a path. Ikuto followed me, a little after me. I did my best to seem like my usual self and not about to explode on Ikuto.

* * *

We returned home after that and when we were in the safety of my room, I let him have it.

"Ikuto…YOU FREAKING IDIOT!" I yelled at him.

"What did I do?" He asked really innocent, so innocent that I almost believed him.

"YOU EMBARASSED ME IN FRONT OF EVERYONE! YOU RUINED MY REPUTATION!"

"No, you did!" Ikuto said, he was enjoying the few moments he can of teasing me.

"Turn back into a cat." I said. Surprisingly, he did as he was told. I quickly picked him up by the scruff of his neck, threw him out the door and locked him in the hallway. "AND YOU CAN STAY THERE!"

There was a chorus for ten minutes of meowing defiance.

_Huh? I've never seen Ikuto act this way before… He's never acted childish in front of me before. And…I've never acted this way either. I've never had a grudge on someone for making fun of me._

* * *

In a few weeks…the situation was reversed. This time, Ikuto has a grudge on me.

"I said I was sorry!" I said, trying to follow him. It was after school and we're walking home together (well, he came to pick me up.) This morning, he was mad at me because I left him in the hallway all night (again, he made me angry multiple times after the party) and he almost froze to death. And today (a few moments ago), he came to pick me up in his cat form and I accidentally stepped on his tail.

Now, he's ignoring me by staying in cat form.

He turned the corner and jumped on a wall and walked into an alley. "Hey, Ikuto, where are you going?" I said trying to follow him.

For the next 15 minutes, we were walking on walls, jumping from roof to roof. "Ikuto! Are you still trying to make fun of me!" I was clinging on a 15 feet wall, trying to craw across by holding with my hands and gripping it with my legs tightly instead of walking. I was making really slow progress.

"Of course." Ikuto answered. I looked up to find him standing with no problems on the wall.

"Damn you, Ikuto!" I jumped up without thinking "You jerk, you–" I lost my balance and started to tumble down. "Kyaa!"

"AMU!" Ikuto yelled, also surprised.

I braced myself for the concrete and thought how much a doctor's bill would be for a few broken bones. But, there was no pain. For a second I thought I was dead because it didn't hurt. Then I looked around. "HUH?!" I screamed out when I realized I was sitting on top of Ikuto. "How did I end up falling on top of you!" I screamed in confusion.

"I caught you, that's why." He said explaining as I began to get off of him. "But, you're too heavy." The moment I heard that, I sat back down on him. "Hey! What gives?!"

"You brought on yourself." I said. I didn't like his comment about my weight.

We stayed in that position for a moment. When he said "Seriously, it's cold on the ground."

"It's the middle of winter, what'd you expect?"

"No, it's going to snow today." He said, pushing me off of him with his sudden renewed strength.

"How did you know? The weather reports didn't say anything about snow."

"It's animal instinct. And anyways, it's the first of December." He said grinning when a saw something white fall in front of me.

"It…It really is snowing!" I said in surprise.

"Duh. I'd never lie to you." Ikuto said as I looked at the snowflakes.

"Aw, come on, you can say that, but I know everyone has to…" my voice trailed off as I saw his expression. He didn't look like he was kidding around.

What he said was true.

I smiled. "Thanks Ikuto."

And even though it was two simple words, it was one of the most profound things I've said.

* * *

**Bip: Woot! I'm finally done! And YES! Before Christmas! Consider this my Christmas gift for you people! I'll do an after Christmas gif, too. A new year's gift I guess.**

**Yaya: Why was Bip-chi so busy lately anyways? You're so late for this chapter too.**

**Bip: -gets stabbed by an arrow from Yaya's comment- Um… drawing? –sweat drop-**

**Yaya: Drawing! I thought you're an author!**

**Bip: Um…I'm both?**

**Yaya: …-thinking deeply- …Ok! I get it! Please review!**

* * *

Q: Who—

A: OH! BEFORE YOU SAY ANYTHING! I want to thank everyone for a hundred reviews :D I love you people!

Q: Ok, I was going to ask who—

A: OH! ANOTHER THING! I realize that this chapter was a little cheesy due to a lot of OOC from Ikuto. I have a reason; I wanted Ikuto and Amu to show each other a side they never showed anyone before :) That's all.

Q: Ok, Can I ask my question now?

A: Yes you may.

Q: That didn't count as a question did it?

A: Yes it did and this one too. So you have one question left.

Q: Screw – Oh, never mind. Who are the new characters?

A: Well, if you read my other Shugo Chara story before I deleted it (I deleted it because I wanted to finish this first), they are characters from that fanfic. The black hair girl, Chiyo, will be in the sequel if there will be one. And Chihana…She was going to be the villain in the other fanfic, but it never got to that point, not yet. So you can figure out her role here ;) And you should be able to figure out what Ikuto really is from this :O If you can't, more suspense for you and a lot more cliffys for you in the future because you can't figure it out xD.

* * *

Um...I almost forgot! You might not understand the ending of this chapter. I was trying to do my best to make it more understandable, but I probably failed, so I'm going to try to explain in better detail. Amu says its one of the most profound things she said because she really meant it. Like she really cared about Ikuto and she really felt thankful to him.


	10. Christmas Part 1

**

* * *

**

Bip: Wow! We're at double digits!

**Nikaido: Ahem…**

**Bip:…right, right.**

**Bip: I'm very sorry that this is 2 months late…I hadn't found the time to type this up…**

**Nikaido: (actually, she just forgot, and when she remembers she gets distracted.)**

**Bip: Hey! Don't talk about people's secrets behind their backs!**

**Nikaido: Right. Bip doesn't own Shugo Chara!**

* * *

"Talking"

_Thinking_

"YELLING"

"_Person saying something special or person thinking back to what another person said. You'll have to figure it out yourself :O"_

* * *

_**Chapter 10: Christmas**_

-**Amu's POV-**

It's been a two weeks since it first snowed this year. Christmas was in less than 2 weeks! "ARGGGH!" I screamed. _How could this have happened? Oh no! Oh no! Who can I turn to! The bank? No, I'm a kid, they wouldn't give me cash!"_ I flopped down on my bed, my brain crashed from thinking too hard.

I had only realized how close Christmas was last week. I can't believe Christmas can be so sneaky. I was searching through all of my clothes for any change I might have left in the pockets. In the end I only had ¥1,000 **(A/N: Roughly $10, I think) **to buy my family gifts and a gift for the person I chose in the Secret Santa game my class participated in. But now, the biggest problem was that I didn't have enough money to buy Ikuto a gift!

"Let me think this through. I still have ¥250 **(A/N: I think that's about $2.50)**. What can I buy with that?" I thought for a moment. "Two packs of gum?" I was silent for a moment. "HELL NO!"

"Hey Amu, I'm back." Ikuto said as he climbed through the window.

"Oh, welcome back, Iku…" I saw where he climbed in from. "Why can't you use the kitty door like a normal cat?"

"It makes me feel confined." He said with out hesitation. Then he saw the money on my bed. "You don't have enough money for your Secret Santa?"

"No, I bought a gift already."

"Who did you choose anyways?"

"Tadase."

Ikuto gave me a look that seems to say _"You cheated your way through, didn't you?"_

"What's that look for?" I asked him.

"You were paired through a lottery right?" He asked still keeping that look.

"Yes! Yes we were!"

"You have some luck."

"Just stop making that face before I push you out the window."

He shut up after that. I went back to grumbling things I could buy for ¥250. "10 bags of chips? Can cats even eat that?"

"Hey, just who is that gift for anyways?" He asked.

"Huh?!" I said in surpise. _Oh no, I can't tell him, er…can I? It's not Secret Santa._ "Um…Why…why do you need to know…?" I asked nervously.

"I was going to sneak around to see if I can find out what that person wants for Christmas."

"Forget it then. That's cheating." I said indifferently. "Find a way to help me raise money instead."

"Why don't you sell lemonade? I saw a few kids do that on one of the programs your sister was watching."

I was about to yell at him when I realized he was serious. "It's the middle of winter." I wanted to add _"You idiot!"_ but bit my tongue.

* * *

"Eh? Amu-chi doesn't have enough money to buy a present for someone?" Yaya said. It was lunch time and the student council was going around the school listening to student's problems. The people who happened to be in this wing of the school were Yaya, Nagehiko, and Rima.

"Why bother giving gifts?" Rima said. "All you have to do is say thank you when fans decide to get enough courage to give you a gift."

"That's … a little harsh, Rima." Nagehiko said, trying to be nice. Then he turned to me. "Hey, how about I lend you some money?"

"Eh?!"

"I can lend you at least ¥ 5,000. **(A/N: Roughly $50)**" Nagehiko continued.

"W-What?!"

"Not enough? ¥10,000 **(A/N: Roughly $100)** then."

"N-No! It's more than enough! Where the heck do a kid like you get so much money?!"

"Oh, you don't know?" Yaya said. "Nagehiko's parents are the founders of the famous Fujisaki Theater!"

"NO! NO WAY!" I shouted. _How could I have not drawn the connection? That's the theater that earns more than one million yen per year!_

"Oh, sorry Amu-chan." Nagehiko said. "That's all the money I currently have with me today. I can get more money tomorrow… Say, Yaya, Rima, how much money do you have with you?"

"¥12,000 **(A/N: Roughly $120)** in cash. ¥3,000 **(A/N: Roughly $30.)** in presents."

"¥13,500! **(A/N: Roughly $135.)**"

"Woah! I thought we were all elementary kids!" I yelled. _What kind of adult gives a 5__th__ grader ¥12,000? A forth grader ¥13,500? Forget it!_

"We are." Yaya responded naturally. "But, all of the student council's parents are famous!"

"…famous?"

"Yaya's daddy is the principal of the Yuiki Ballet School." Yaya said with a smile. "Rima's parents are the founders of Mashiro Toys. Kukai's dad is the famous soccer player: 'Victory Shot' Souma. Kairi's family owns Sanjo Studios, the one that made Utau, Iru and the band Diamond famous."

"D…Did your parents bribe the school to let you guys be part of the student council?" I asked. "Oh, wait, what about Tadase? What does his parents do?"

Nagehiko looked surprised. Rima turned away from me. Even Yaya frowned. "We don't know." She said. "Tadase's never told us."

* * *

So, I ended up borrowing ¥2000 **(A/N: Roughly $20)** from them. They wanted me to borrow more and when I told them that I can't pay them back, they just said that there was no need to pay them back. I just politely asked to go to the bathroom by then.

As I walked home, I wondered what made Tadase part of the student government. _Wasn't he the student government president?_ _So naturally, he should be rich and famous, too. So why doesn't anyone know about him? Oh, what was his last name again? I think it was…Hotori…_

I kept thinking about that name as I walked home. There was something about that name. It sounded familiar; I seemed to have heard it somewhere. It wasn't like the name of a famous person like the rest of the student body. It's almost like a name that would be mentioned in a newspaper article for about a week, until the uproar died down.

* * *

The next day at school, we were to exchange presents with our Secret Santa. **(A/N: I have no idea if Japan has Christmas breaks, so I'm not going to put the date -.-;;)** Most of the people just got up to look for the person they had to give their gift to. I didn't. I just stared at the oddly shaped package in front of me. I was actually trying to decide something. _I've liked Tadase-kun for 3 months now – since September. Should I tell him? They say that Christmas is one of the best times…_

I was so deep in thought, I jumped when someone tapped my shoulder.

"Oh, sorry, did I scare you?"

Looking at me, was Tadase.

"Ah, n-no…n-not at a-a-lll!" _No, of course you didn't surprise me so much, I could have died right now!_

"Um…Actually, I'm your Secret Santa." He said in a slightly apologetic way.

"Huh?! Really?! C-Cuz, I'm yours!"

"Uh…really…?" He said, also stunned.

"Oh! Well…um…here!" I said handing him the package, abandoning all my plans from before.

He starred at the strangely wrapped package. "Is…Is it okay to open this later? I want to show you my gift first." He said and smiled.

"Oh…uh…Okay…I guess…" I said and followed him out of the room. _What kind of gift is necessary to be shown? I thought you just give it to people…_

* * *

He led me to the schoolyard. Behind this schoolyard, there is actually a small wooded area, not big enough to be called a forest, but it's not as small as a park either. There is barely a visible trail in this place. So as we walked, Tadase often had to snap a few branches so my clothes won't get snagged.

"I'm sorry, I haven't been here recently because of the work as a member of the student government. And no one else ever comes here, so the trail has really gotten worse."

"It's okay!" _I wonder what kind of present involves going into these woods._

After about 15 minutes, Tadase shouted happily "Here we are!"

I walked a little further to stand next to him, to see what he was talking about (I was lagging behind a little.) There was a lake, completely frozen. It was like a skating rink.

"Oh, um…we're…a bit early. Wait, 5 more minutes…"

We stood there waiting. The sun was starting to set by this point. After 5 minutes, the sun was half behind the trees and half not. And at this angle, the sun shown both right through the trees and right above the trees and the light was reflected from the frozen lake. **(A/N: I'm sorry, but I'm not sure if this is possible, but I was think about flowers, then I realized they'd be dead in winter so this was just a moments inspiration ^^;;)**

"I…It's so…pretty." I said, still dazed. It was kind of like an oil painting an artist did of a forest right at sunset or sunrise. Except, they couldn't catch the light reflected from every curve of the lakes frozen waves.

"Um…I'm sorry…that this doesn't last for very long…" He said, embarrassed. "I didn't know what kind of present you'd like…I hope I'm not being cheap…"

"N-No! I really like it! Anyways…I feel cheap, now. Since, after all…I bought something for you, which can't last forever, but this will go on forever as long as the earth and winter is still here..."

Tadase smiles when he hears this. "I…actually came here a lot, when I was little. I've told you before, that I couldn't remember some of my childhood. But, this was one of the things I did remember."

_Then…this place must be really important to Tadase-kun…_

"But…it's strange, I know clearly that you are the first person to have come here with me, however, in some of my memories of this place, I remember vaguely, there was someone else…"

"Someone else…?"

"Yeah. And…I'm certain of this…but it really does contradict each other."

_There was someone there, yet there wasn't a person there?_

"Oh! It's so dark, now! Let's go back, Amu-san."

"Oh, sure!" The last bit of sunlight faded away as we walked back to the school.

* * *

When we got back to the school, everyone had gone home. It was just me and Tadase.

"Oh, your present. I haven't opened it…" Tadase said as he fumbled with the tape.

"I'm sorry, I taped it kind of awkward, since it wasn't a geometric shape.

When he finally got it opened, he looked at the cape and wand in surprise.

"I…uh…saw you looking at it when you went home from school…"

"Oh! I remember, now! Thanks!" Tadase said, grinning widely. "I remember that when I was little, I wanted to grow up to be a king. My parents promised that they would get me this when I first saw it when I was little. But, by the time they got around to buying it, it was sold out. When I saw it again, I was thinking of buying it…"

_I'm glad he's happy with that…_ And then it hit me. We're alone. I could tell him how I feel, right here and now.

"Uh…Tadase-kun…"

"Yes?"

"I…uh…" I could tell I was blushing so I turned and looked down at my feet. "I really li…" _like you! Why can't I say it?!_

"Is something the matter?"

_What is it? Why can't I say it…I feel as if there's more than one reason for me not to tell him…_ We were quiet for a moment. _Well…just get it over with!_

"I like you Tadase-kun!"

"I like you too, Amu-san."

"Huh? Really?" _Well…that was easier than I thought!_

"Yeah! We can be friends forever! That's how much I like you!"

"H…H…HUH?!?!?" It felt like a ton of bricks just dropped on my head. _He…doesn't get it..._

"Uh…Is something wrong?"

"No…no…it's nothing. It's getting dark, let's go home…"

* * *

**-Narrator's POV-**

(wow, haven't been to this POV for a while xD)

_Oh…did I say something wrong to Amu-san? _Tadase thought.

(well that POV was short…)

* * *

**-Amu's POV-**

_Well, all that told me is that I was either a) too hasty or b) will never win his heart._ I thought as I walked home. _Well…actually, there could be an option c) he still likes Ran._

When I reached my house, a light snow fell and I hurried inside.

"I'm home!" I yelled to my parents.

"Welcome back!" my mother said as I took off my coat and hung it on the rack. "Huh? Oh, Amu…weren't you wearing a scarf this morning?"

"Hmm?" I looked around my neck to see it wasn't there. "Oh…I must've left it at school…I'll go back tomorrow and find it." _Even though I wanted to enjoy my day off…_

* * *

The next day, I began my search outside of the school. Finding nothing, I went inside and also found nothing.

"Hmm…where could I have left it?" I tried to think back to yesterday's events. _I went to school early, so I could have left it at the classroom, but I just checked there. So, after school, then? But, I checked outside too…_ Then I realized it. _When I went to that lake! It must've snagged a branch and I didn't notice it slipped off!_

After realizing that, I zipped my coat back on and hurried there.

* * *

I arrived at the lake about 30 minutes later because of all the branches I have to move out of the way (these things grow really fast…). After the snow yesterday, the lake looked even prettier.

But, I didn't see the scarf. I started walking towards the lake when I realized I couldn't see it anymore, it was covered in snow.

"W…Wait…a minute…I'm not…standing on the lake…right?" I said and didn't move as I took a step towards the direction I came from, there was a creak. No doubt about it, I was on the lake. Without thinking, I started running back to the shore. Bad move. The lake continued to creak and I can start to see the cracks where the ice broke. _Why did the ice get thinner today?!_ Pretty soon, I saw the shore; the snow there looked a lot thicker

And that's when I heard a loud crack and the ice beneath me gave in.

"Kyaaaaaa!" I screamed.

My legs were underneath the water before someone grabbed me and pulled me up. I was shaking too much to see who it was that time.

"Sheesh. Are you an idiot? What are you doing here of all places?"

That voice… "I-i-i-ku-ku-to!" I said through my chattering teeth. Although it was just my legs that touched the water, the wind was making both my legs and me freeze.

"W-W-W-ha-ha"

"Save the questions for later or else you'll freeze." He said and began carrying me back to the school.

* * *

At the school, Ikuto let me sit down at a chair and turned the radiator on as high as possible. Eventually, my teeth stopped clattering and I could talk straight again.

"So, answer me, what were you doing there?" Ikuto said immediately after my teeth stopped their movement.

"I should be asking you that! After all, Tadase said no one ever goes there…"

"Tadase?" said Ikuto, raising his voice a little.

"Um, yea…he took me there yesterday. I thought I left my scarf there."

"Oh…"

"So what were _you_ doing at the lake?"

"Um…no reason anyways…that lake…I used to go there when I was little, actually."

"Er…you mean where you were a kitten?"

"Well…uh…yes…you could call it that way…I guess…"

"Huh…Tadase said he used to go there when he was little too…"

"Did he?" Ikuto said, raising an eyebrow. "I actually went there with someone else before…"

"Y…you did?! Who was it?! Was it Ta—"

"Look, why don't you just wait here, I'll see if there's anyone around to check if you have frostbite, just in case."

"Hey! Don't change the subject! Hey!" I called him as he walked down the hallway. "Damn!" I tried to get off the chair and start walking, but my legs hurt the moment I put my feet down on the floor **(A/N: Ikuto put two chairs together so she won't have to put her feet on the ground.)**

_D…Damn it…why won't he answer me…Why won't he…maybe…it was Tadase, then?_

* * *

**Bip: Yea…um…I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible…**

**Nikaido: Gee…I wonder when that'll be.**

**Bip: S…Shaddup! **

**Bip: And I know Christmas past like 2 months ago, but I really procrastinated so if I had finished this sooner, it would have been around the beginning of January T-T**

**Nikaido: Please Review!**

* * *

Q: Ah, I see you finally returned from 2 months hiatus. Mind telling us next time?

A: Er…I'll pass on this one…

Q: Answer the question above.

A: Um…I pass again (:

Q: …Okay…then when will the next update be?

A: …I'm sorry, I'm not a fortune teller, I can't predict the future.

Q: I thought you had plans for at least when the chapters come out!

A: Yeah, but that all went out the window when school started x3

Q: Okay, last question. Why are you up at 7:36 AM on a no school day?

A: …Why did you have to ask T-T …

Q: Please answer question above.

A: Ok, you sadist, I thought there was school today… .


	11. Christmas Part 2

**Bip: …Why does it feel like the story's stuck at Christmas? I mean its summer already! (Almost)**

**Sanjo: You have yourself to blame.**

**Bip: … I know… So let me apologize…again. I'M SORRY!!**

**Sanjo: Do so until the end of this chapter, then.**

**Bip: o…ok? I'm sorry. I'm sorry…**

**Sanjo: Bip does not own Shugo Chara.**

* * *

"Talking"

_Thinking_

"YELLING"

"_Person saying something special or person thinking back to what another person said. You'll have to figure it out yourself :O"_

* * *

_**Chapter 11: Christmas Part 2**_

**-Amu's POV-**

I sat there, pouting. _Why doesn't he tell me? What, does he not trust me?_ I paused for a moment. _Is that it?_ The moment I thought that, for some reason, my chest hurt.

At that moment, I heard voices in the hallway. _Huh? Why are there people here? Today's a day off. I don't think that many people would accidentally leave stuff at school._

The voices grew louder and I realized one of them was really familiar.

"Yeah, sure, we can go tomorrow…" One of the voices said. The voices continued to grow louder as the kids walked closer to the doorway.

There were 2 girls and 2 boys. At first glance, there was nothing peculiar at them. Then I realized, one of the girls was the girl from the party, the one that vanished. And one of the boys…my eyes widened when I realized it. One of the boys looked exactly like Ikuto…except a little younger, a lot shorter, at the least. Its not every day you find boys with the same blue hair as Ikuto. _Oh, wait… There's Yoru, too._

The other girl had long green-blue hair tied into two braids that reached to the middle of her back. She was smiling at Ikuto, something that kind of pissed me off. The other boy had dark brown hair and he looked similar to the green hair girl.

It was only until all four of them were completely in my view when I saw that everyone of them were see-through. My eyes widened and I screamed.

* * *

**-Narrator's POV-**

Chihana sat on a rooftop. She looked down at the city below her. Everyone was hard at work moving all the snow. She sighed. "This is starting to get annoying, controlling these figures." She said to herself. "If the four of them are starting to appear in a ghost like form, then those two's future is almost completely decided."

"For Cat-Boy's life to disappear, 3 new lives will have to be created." She grinned to herself. "There's no doubt about it, that cat-boy will die. And there's nothing the do gooder Eru or Pink-Hair can do about it."

She stopped looking at the streets below and looked up to the sky. "Controling other's lives is so much fun. It's the best part of being an angel."

* * *

**-Amu's POV-**

Ikuto rushed in to the room after the scream. "Amu! What happened?! Why'd you scream?!" He asked.

I was sitting on the chair trembling as I held on tightly to the back of the chair as if it would keep away any spirits. Ikuto began scanning the room. Seeing nothing changed, he turned his attention back to me.

"What happened?"

I whimpered. "G-G-G…"

"Uh…I don't know what "Guh Guh Guh means…"

"GHOSTS!" I screamed at him.

He stared at me as if I had 10 heads. "First of all, there's no such thing as ghosts."

"But, I saw them!"

"Ok, assuming you did see them, there's no reason to scream. I thought something really happened to you." He said with a sigh.

"I-I-I'm not lying! I mean, how do you know ghosts don't exist?"

"It's unscientific."

I glared at him. "I don't want to hear that from someone whose existence is unscientific." From the look on his face, I got him good.

"Ahem. Anyways, there's no one around, so I'm just going to guess your feet will be ok if you stay in a warm enough place."

"…Ok…" After that there was a long period of silence. I put my hands in my coat pocket and felt something there. _Oh, that's right, I forgot. I should've left it at home. Oh, well, not like there's any harm._ I took the item out and threw it to Ikuto.

"What's this?" He said holding up the package that I awkwardly wrapped. It was hard to wrap since I kept on shifting it by mistake.

"Early Christmas present." I mumbled.

"Sorry I can't hear you."

"Early Christmas present." I said a little louder than my normal tone of voice.

"I missed that."

"IT'S A CHRISTMAS PRESENT! DON'T PRETEND TO IGNORE ME!" I yelled and stood up. "Ow! Ow!" I sat back down quickly.

"Well, I just wanted to make sure." He said with a smirk.

_Translation: He wanted to tease me._

"Can I open it now?"

"Sure, why not?" He hastily tore the wrapping open. _Damn. After all that time I spent on that…_ He finished opening it and his surprised look surprised me. "Um…a scarf?"

"Yea, what of it?" I said, trying to sound cool. _So?! Is it good or not? Do you like it?_

"I was kind of expecting a bag of chocolate Taiyaki…" **(A/N: Was that what it was called? The stuff Amu kept buying for Ikuto to eat in the manga/Anime)** he said, with just a bit of disappointment in his voice, but it was enough for me to catch it.

"OH YEA? WELL IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT I'LL TAKE IT BACK!" I yelled at him, upset since he didn't like it that much.

"No, I'll keep it. It'll keep me warm, this scarf."

"That's what I had in mind when I bought it. Just so you know, sewing that cat on the edge of the scarf is not as easy as it looks."

"It certainly looks easy to me." He said as he examined the cat. I was about to retort when he said "Kiding…I'm just _kidding_. I love it."

"…" I was kind of surprised at that response and I can feel like I was blushing. "Um…Your…Your Welcome…" my voice trailed off.

* * *

It was Christmas day. One day after I gave Ikuto my present. That day, I woke up and the first thing smack in front of my face was a box…a gigantic box. _W…What the heck is this thing doing on my BED?!"_ I turned to the other direction and noticed that Ikuto wasn't in his kitty bed. _Huh. He must've gone out for a walk or something._

I got out of bed to get a better look at the other problem. How did a giant box get on my bed while I was sleeping and not have me notice? The box reached halfway up to my ceiling, when it's on my bed. It was just a cardboard box, though. There were no decorations so it couldn't have been Santa.

After staring at it pointlessly for 15 minutes, I proceed to pull the box down. The box landed with a thump on the floor, not a loud crash or anything but the way a heavy pillow of feathers would sound if it hit the floor. On the floor, the box went almost up to my waist and on the top it said 'Handle with Care' _…too late for that._

It was easy to open the box (you just flip open the top). Inside, I just see over a million of peanuts. _I wonder if its one of those tricks where the item is only 5cm and the rest are peanuts._ I was wrong. I stuck my hand in, expecting to go all the way through the peanuts with out touching anything. Instead, my hand barely went in 5 inches when I felt something furry. I pulled it out a gigantic, adorable, teddy bear. "IT'S SO CUUUUTE!" I exclaimed and hugged it really tightly. I fell on my bed because of its weight, though. I loosened the grasp on the teddy and thought _But who gave me this teddy anyways?_

I put the teddy on the corner of my bed and went out to the stairway to get breakfast. I turned around and ran back to hug the teddy again. It was just too cute. Thirty minutes later, I finally had enough and went downstairs.

**(A/N: If you want an image of the teddy bear, go to google images, type in cute teddy bear and choose the one you like best.)**

* * *

"Merry Christmas, Mom, Dad, Ami!" I said in a slightly cheery voice.

"Well, you're happy today, Amu." My mom said.

"Of course, with a cute present like that!"

"Cute…present?"

"Yea, the giant bear."

"What giant bear?"

_Huh? It wasn't from them?_

For the rest of the day, I didn't get a chance to see Ikuto. I figured he just went on a longer walk than usual.

* * *

**-Ikuto's POV-**

"Thanks for helping me out, Eru." I said to the golden hair girl sitting in front of me. We were in a café.

"Nope! No problem!" she said and looked out the window with a long sigh.

"That doesn't even come close to the face of someone who has no problems." I said.

"Uh…I didn't say I don't have any problems." She said with a hint of sarcasm.

"You normally don't do stuff I ask you to."

"You normally don't ask me to help you."

"…Well, thanks for getting that bear, I'm surprised that you were able to find one identical to what I asked." I said, stirring the coffee in front of me. I had no intention of drinking it, though. Cats prefer milk.

"I'm surprised you were able to describe such a girly thing."

_Man, what's biting her today?_

She looked out the window again and murmured something under her breath. "…Chihana…ghosts of fill ins…"

"Who's Chihana?"

"What?" Eru was startled and paid attention that I was still there. "W…Where'd you hear that name?!"

"…You just said it. Don't play dumb."

Eru sighed again. "Don't mind it; you just keep on trying to win her love."

"Sure. Can't get her to forget Tadase, though."

"Did I sense bitterness in your tone?" Eru asked. "Never mind…Wait, Tadase? As in Hotori Tadase?"

"Yes, who else?"

"You're not worried about…"

"No I'm not worried about him."

"Right. Then you're worried because of Amu's ties to Tadase, right?"

"Sort of. I am not worried about Tadase." I said after seeing the look she gave me. "I wan to make sure _that _person is either dead or gone so that he never has to come back."

"Don't worry about that, he's serving his sentence."

"How long was his sentence?"

"I don't remember. I hope it's as long as possible. He didn't do too many good things, that person." Eru looked deep in thought. "Also, you don't have that much time left."

"You told me that already." I said as I took a sip of the coffee. I decided to try it in the end. "But what I don't get is…why don't I have enough time?"

"Well, of course, you have to go back to…" her voice trailed off as she realized what she just said. "Ah! Never mind what I said." She began putting on her coat and picking up her bag. "Sorry! I gotta go!"

"Huh? Hey wait, what did you mean before…" She was out the door. The moment she stepped through the frame, she disappeared. _I'm starting to wonder if she's a witch of sorts…to appear and disappear at will._

But, she left me thinking. What would happen to me if I ran out of time?

* * *

**Bip: …I'm sorry I'm sorry…**

**Sanjo: Ok, enough. My brain is starting to rot from hearing you repeat that. I hope you learned you lesson about last minute things. I mean this chapter was too short!**

**Bip: …yes…I understand. ;^;**

**Sanjo: and what else are you suppose to say.**

**Bip: I'm sorry…**

**Sanjo: Not that! Say something else. **

**Bip: Um…Thank you for putting up with me…I'm sorry ;^;**

**Sanjo: ok, good enough please review.**

* * *

Q: Hello, welcome back from your vacation.

A: I'm sorry ;^;

Q: Ok, so what have you been doing on your break, depending on your answer, I might have to punish you.

A: I'm sorry ;^;

Q: o.O Ok…mind answer the question?

A: I'm sorry ;^;

Q: …

A: I'm sorry ;^;

Q: I didn't say anything! Anyways, don't you have anything else to say?!

A: I promise I'll continue to work on this story till the end.


	12. Amu's True Feelings

**Bip: Why does it feel like I'm running out of Shugo Chara characters that aren't charas? I mean Lulu's the last one…and she isn't even part of the manga…**

**Lulu: Stop acting like I'm not that important! Just how long is this story going to be?! I haven't made an entrance at all!**

**Bip: …**

**Lulu: …?**

**Bip: Wow, I just realized that…I'll have to think of a role for you, even if it's a tiny one.**

**Lulu: …Hey! I won't be ignored!**

**Bip: Don't worry, I'll think of something.**

**Lulu: You better! Bip does not own Shugo Chara.**

* * *

"Talking"

_Thinking_

"YELLING"

"_Person saying something special or person thinking back to what another person said. You'll have to figure it out yourself :O"_

* * *

_**Chapter 12: Amu's True Feelings**_

**-Amu's POV-**

Ikuto came home without using the door, but instead my balcony…again. Which almost gave me a heart attack. "Ikuto! Why can't you walk through the door like a normal person?" I said, I was doing my homework, and because of his surprising entrance, I accidentally drew a scribble that started from the top of my notebook to the bottom of my page, to the top left and…you get the idea. "Ack! You made me ruin my homework!"

"Don't blame things on others."

"Aw man…now I have to start all over…" I mumbled as I ripped the page out of the notebook.

Ikuto looked over to the bear that now sat on the corner of my room in a Santa outfit. It was an outfit I found in the back of my closet; it no longer fit me anyways. "Do you like it?"

"Huh?"

"The bear, I mean…"

"Oh, yea, I love it, it's so cute…Wait…did you get me this?"

"…" He glanced at me. "Well…what do you think? I have to return something for the scarf."

"Ohmigosh! Thank you so much!" I said, almost on impulse. "…Wait, where'd you get the money?"

"I find it on the floor."

"Find it…? Wait, you don't mean you went out and begged?"

"Of course not, but that's the best way for me to put it. I sort of found it on the floor, but it's a bit more complicated."

_I think I'll stay away from this topic…Yea, time to change the subject…_ "So, um, where did you buy it?"

"I don't know."

"Huh? You mean you don't remember where you bought giant bear?"

"Er, no…it's sort of complicated."

"…" _I get the feeling I shouldn't hear more on this subject, too…_

At that moment I heard the sound of our doorbell. "Ikuto, turn back into a cat, hide in the closet if necessary." _Just in case they happen to come into my room._

"Sure." He says and he hides under the bed. I heard my mother open the door and then she shrieked. Surprised, I ran down the stairs to see what was going on. Only after I was halfway down, I realized I should have stayed upstairs to call the police if it was a burglar or kidnapper. It was too late, though, since when I ran down, my feet made a lot of noise.

"What's wrong, mom?!" I yelled. My mother stood frozen at the doorway.

"I-I-It's…" She stuttered.

"What? What is it?"

"IT'S UTAU HOSHINA!!!!" My mother screamed.

Sure enough, Utau was standing there. She was wearing a coat with a high collar that reached her nose and a hat that covered up to her eyes. Even so, at this distance, anyone can tell it was Utau.

"Please! Don't scream my name!" Utau yelled at my mom. "I don't want fans to start mobbing me!"

My mom quickly shut her mouth and nodded her head.

Utau sighed, annoyed. "Hey." She said and turned to me. "Is your name Amu?"

"Y-Yea…!" I said, surprised. She was glaring at me. Ikuto, who had been in my arms jumped out and headed upstairs.

"I want to talk to you. Can I go up to your room?"

"Huh?!" Why would a singer…a superstar that I never met before want to talk to me? "Sure…I mean, wait, I don't even know you!"

Utau raised an eyebrow. "Didn't Ikuto ever mention me?"

My eyes went wide. "I-Ikuto?! You're looking for Ikuto?!" I was kind of mad. I glared at her, now. "Why are you asking for me, now…?"

"Demanding, aren't you."

_I'd say you're the demanding one…_

"Look, Ikuto said if I needed to find him, I have to come to this house and look for a girl named Amu." She took off her coat and gave it to my mom and hung it in the closet. "I made a deal with him and I can't just put it off since he did help me out with something." She said sighing.

My mom went into the kitchen and I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. I turned around to see Ikuto coming down in human form as if he was completely used to walking down like that. "Hi, Utau."

Utau raised an eyebrow. "Why can't you just invite me over like a normal person instead of asking me to look for your sister first?"

"I'm not his sister!" I said. Ikuto looked at me, as if I did something I wasn't supposed to. "Uh… I'm his cousin's cousin's uncle's sister in law's younger sister's cousin's cousin twice removed!" I said. _How did I remember that from so long ago…_

Utau looked confused. "I…see…"

Ikuto sighed as if it was my fault and I glared at him. "Anyways, please come upstairs."

Ikuto walked ahead of me and Utau was behind me. So, when Ikuto and I arrived at the second floor, Utau hadn't yet.

"Um…can I borrow your parent's room so I can talk to Utau?" He whispered.

"WHAT?!" I yelled in a whisper. "What are you trying to say…do?" I crossed my arms and stared at him.

Ikuto's eyes went wid. "N-No! I didn't mean it like that! I'm a cat anyways! We're two different species!"

I narrowed my eyes. "So, you mean if you were the same species…?"

"No!" He yelled at me. Utau who had just arrived at the top of the stairs raised her eyebrows in question. "Look, we'll just use the guest room to talk okay?"

"…Tell me again why I can't be there?" I said, glaring at him. "Are you trying to hide something?" I turned to look at Utau. "Are…Are you guys going out…?" I said slowly.

"NO!" Both Ikuto and Utau yelled at me.

"There is no way I'll go out with this scatterbrain diva!" Ikuto yelled at me in a way that almost made him look desperate.

"What did you call me?!" Utau yelled at Ikuto. "A scatterbrain diva…DO I NEED TO MAKE SPEGETTI WITH YOUR BRAINS, CUT YOU UP AND COOK YOU FOR DINNER?!?!?!"

"…That's an interesting threat…" Ikuto said. "It doesn't make sense…"

I sighed. "Okay, just use the guest room." _Why do I even bother…?_

* * *

**-Narrator's POV-**

Ikuto closed the door and made sure she was gone.

Utau sighed. "Is this that important that you have to make sure that girl is gone…?"

Ikuto nodded. "I…don't want her to find out about this…"

"…" Utau said nothing as she thought hard. "This information…did you really need me to find it for you?"

"Well, you were going to visit that place, right?" Ikuto responded.

"Yes, well, I guess I was the only one who could possibly charm that guard to let me see the records…"

"You hid it from the media when you said you were going on a vacation, right."

"Yes, hard to believe you were able to find out that I was really going to visit my dad who was in jail."

"Well, I have my ways." Ikuto said, nodding. "I never would've thought that your father was the director of Easter. No offense, but I think Mr. Hoshina deserved it. Stealing money from that company was wrong."

"Shut up. I know what he did was wrong, but he's still my father." She paused for a moment. "Speaking of dad's…I found what you're looking for. He was locked up for that wasn't he?"

"…" Ikuto didn't respond.

"Well, he's still serving his sentence…for child abuse."

"…"

Utau sighed. "Since you're not going to respond. Here." She handed Ikuto a file. "I was able to make a photocopy of the file for you."

"…thanks." Ikuto finally said as he picked up the file.

Utau started to open the door. She turned around to face Ikuto again. "By the way, isn't it kind of sick to like your own family member?"

"Excuse me?"

"Last time, you admitted it when I asked if you liked Amu and now you're related."

"W-What, I…I…that's…I…" Ikuto couldn't think of anything to say.

Utau sighed. "Nevermind." She pulled opened the door, to see Amu standing there with a tray of tea in her hands.

Her eyes seemed to be wide with shock as she muttered "…Tea…?"

Utau glanced at Ikuto then back. "Um…"

"I see that you need to continue your conversation! I'll leave now!" She put the tray of tea in Utau's hands and ran downstairs.

Utau turned around to face Ikuto. "…Tea?" She said in a weak voice. Ikuto sighed and slapped himself on the forehead. "I'm sorry, Ikuto…"

"It's…no problem…probably…"

"Um, I should…probably go now…" Utau said as she also went downstairs, leaving Ikuto, feeling very regretful.

_Damn. Now, I've done it…_ Ikuto thought. _She'll never look at me the same way again. After all, who falls in love with someone of a different species? She doesn't like me anyways…_

* * *

**-Ikuto's POV-**

After that, Amu avoided me. She made an excuse to leave the house almost immediately. Seeing that I probably won't get a chance to talk to her for a while, I stayed in her room and took out the file. It was mostly a description of what had happened. The most important thing I needed was when this person was going to be released. I searched around the papers, scanning everything, but I couldn't find it.

_That's funny. Utau said that he was still serving his sentence so it should be here somewhere._ I started shuffling the papers. Nothing.

I heard footsteps and hurried into the closet. The moment I finished transforming into a cat I realized I didn't have the file in my hands.

"…Ikuto?" It was Utau. "Hmm…Where did he go…?" The door closed again.

I came out of the closet as soon as I was human again. I stuck my head out of the room to see if I could find Utau. She was standing in the hall, looking in the other rooms. "I'm here."

"Oh, good."

"Didn't you already leave?"

"Yes, but I just remembered something." She bit her lip as if she was trying to decide if it was a good idea to tell me. "The papers…I was looking through it a few days ago. I was just skimming through it in the car. I had the window opened. I had just read that he was still serving his sentence when it flew out of my hands…"

"Flew…out…of…your…hands…" I repeated in disbelief.

"Yes! I'm sorry! The car started going faster and the wind…blew it out of my hands…" She sighed and looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry Ikuto. That must've been the paper you needed most, right…?"

I sighed. "It's alright. It's not your fault. Fate must've not wanted me to get that paper."

"…Alright." She turned around to head down the stairs. "I'll be leaving now…again…"

"Ok, Bye."

* * *

**-Amu's POV-**

_Ikuto likes me… Ikuto likes me…?_ That thought continued to repeat in my mind. I squeezed my eyes shut as I continued walking faster. I shook my head. _It must be me hearing things. We're two different species!_

As I was walking, a small drizzle started. _What the hell? Isn't it winter, why's it raining?_ I walked into a nearby store and walked around, pretending to look at things. Outside, the light drizzle turned into snow. _I guess it wasn't cold enough a few seconds ago…?_

I sighed. I had already walked up and down the aisles at least ten times. The owner was starting to wonder what I was plotting. I walked outside and was glad I had a jacket with a hood on. I quickly pulled it on.

I walked to the end of the street and glanced around. _Wait…where am I?_ I had just walked and walked without looking at where I was. I didn't recognize any of the houses or the name of the street.

_Oh…shit…what am I supposed to do? I left without picking up my cell phone or wallet._ I stood in the cold wondering where I could shelter for a bit. I finally decided that I should go back to the store for help.

When I got back to the store, it turns out they closed due to the snow. The snow really was starting to pile up. They probably wanted the employees to get home safe.

I quickly glanced around for another place for shelter. There seemed to be no other store. Then I saw a bus stop across the street. There probably might not be a bus, but it at least has a roof. And if a bus does come, I could ask the driver for help.

* * *

I had sat down on the bench. At least I was dressed for the weather so I wasn't freezing. I glanced at my watch, which I had brought with me, luckily. It was 5 o'clock already.

As I sat there waiting, my thoughts drifted back to Ikuto. _Does he really like me?_ All I heard was Utau saying it was weird that Ikuto likes his own family member and when she says its me, I just blanked out until she opened the door. I didn't hear Ikuto's response, but for Utau to draw that conclusion, I would think that he had said yes.

_If he likes me…that can't happen, can it? Two different species can't be together!_

A cold wind blew and I shivered. I thought of something else at that time. _Why am I worried only about us being two different species? Why am I not asking myself about what to say to him? _I thought for a while, thinking of the time I had spent with Ikuto. _It has been three months since he's been here. Or was it four? It felt a lot longer…_ I thought as I carefully counted the months again. _Yes, it couldn't have been longer than four… It really feels a lot longer..._ As I thought this, I shivered; it was getting late and really cold…

* * *

**-Narrator's POV-**

Ikuto sat on Amu's bed, reading some manga. _Hmm…Amu's taking a long time… Maybe she's downstairs…?_ Ikuto glanced at the clock. _It's already seven. She's normally home by now since she doesn't like to miss dinner…_ Ikuto was about to change into a cat and go downstairs when he heard Amu's mother call.

"Amu? Amu? Are you up there?" Ikuto heard her start to walk up the stairs and he ran into the closet to turn into a cat again.

Amu's mother opened the door. "Amu? Where are you?" She looked around the room, seeing she's not there, she closed the door. "It's so late, she isn't back yet?" She murmured as she called for her again, to see if she was in the other rooms.

As soon as Amu's mother left, Ikuto left the closet, as a cat. _Amu still isn't home…?_

* * *

Amu sat at the bus stop. It was snowing really hard now. She had been wondering the same thoughts the same time while remembering the times she spent with Ikuto. _How long has he liked me…?_ Amu's face started turning red. _Wait! If he's liked me for a really long time…then…Could all those times… _Amu's face started getting redder.

_Wait, it's not that I don't agree with any of this…why's that…?_ Amu shivered. Snow was piling up. _It's really cold…_

Amu's eyes started to grow heavy. _I can't fall asleep! Where's the bus…Oh, wait, it's probably not making any rounds in this weather…_

Before Amu's eyes closed, she saw the blur of someone walking towards her. "…help…" Then her eyes closed.

* * *

A girl with short, black hair and a see-through body stood in front of Amu. "Should I help her…?" She murmured. She was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, even though it's winter. The cold didn't bother her, since she didn't really exist. "If I help her now, will I continue to exist, or will I disappear…?"

"What are you doing?!" A voice yelled from behind the girl.

The girl turned around. "Are…you Eru?" The girl asked. "The other angel?"

"Yes. Now get away from her."

"I wasn't going to hurt her." The girl shifted her glasses. "I want to ask you something, though…"

Eru glared at the girl. "I have something to ask you, too, but first, we have to help her. She's going to die from freezing in this weather." Eru began to walk away. Seeing that the girl wasn't following, she reached out and tugged her by the collar of her t-shirt. "Don't think you can squirm out of this, you're going to answer my questions."

"I wasn't planning to leave. I needed to know some things, too."

"Why would you care, though?" Eru asked as she spread out her wings to prepare to fly. "When you get reincarnated, you'll forget your days as a 'ghost' anyways."

"I know, and by the way, I'm not a ghost, I'm a soul."

"Same thing."

* * *

Ikuto jumped out of the balcony of Amu's room and headed down the street. _Now, where could Amu have gone…?_ It was snowing hard and as a cat, Ikuto didn't like to get wet, especially when in cat form.

Ikuto decided to go with his guts and headed down another block.

About ten blocks later, he thought he saw something in the sky, a black shadow against the pink sky. _I must be seeing things… _But, then, Ikuto saw it again and he paused. He glanced up and he saw the shape dive into some trees. _I really don't think there are birds that huge and…were those black wings?_

* * *

_Damn it…I can't find Ikuto…_ Eru scanned the area around Amu's house as the ghost-like girl dangled in her hands. She was surprisingly heavy for a girl who was a ghost. She flew around in circles.

"Hey, Eru-san!" The girl shouted to her, pointing at something on the ground. "I think I see a cat…"

"Ok!" Eru hurried to dive down, but before she did that, she noticed something else in the sky, something that looked like wings. Wings similar to hers, except in a black color.

Eru landed in front of Ikuto, whose fur stood up in surprise. "Ikuto, you have to hurry to find Amu!"

Ikuto made an annoyed face and meowed. _Don't you think I've been trying to do that…?_ Then he glanced at the girl next to Eru.

"Oh, this is…who are you…?"

"I don't have a name yet."

"Ok, anyways, let's go!" Eru grabbed Ikuto by the tail and flew up into the air. Ikuto just mewed in protest, he couldn't do anything when he's that high in the air.

_They say cats can always land on their feet, but I'd still be dead at this height._

* * *

Ikuto turned back into a human as Eru and the girl hid themselves in some bushes in a nearby garden.

"Why couldn't you have just helped her instead?" Ikuto complained as he rubbed his back to stop the pain of being picked up from the tail.

"Because I'm an angel! I can't let her see me!" Eru yelled in a whisper. "Quick, she's at the bus stop!"

Ikuto sighed and started to walk towards the stop. A few feet away, Ikuto paused. _Wait a minute, did she just say she was an…angel? No matter, I need to help Amu first!_

He hurried to the bus stop.

* * *

**-Amu's POV-**

"Hey…mu…Hey!" I heard someone say to me.

_Be quiet. I'm tired. I want to sleep…_

"Sorry Amu…" the person whispered. Then I felt a sharp pain on my right cheek.

"Ow!!!" My eyes shot opened and my hand went to touch my cheeks which stung. "…ow…" I looked up to see Ikuto staring at me with worried eyes. "…Ikuto? Oh! I'm so glad you're here!" I yelled as I hugged him.

He hugged me back and then I remembered Ikuto and Utau's conversation and quickly let go. "Um…why are you here…?"

"To save you from being frozen! Duh! Can you walk?"

I nodded as I got up. I yawned and rubbed my eyes. Ikuto raised an eyebrow. "You look too tired to walk…"

"No…I'm fi-i-i-ine…" My sentence was interrupted by a yawn.

"You're not, here I'll carry you." Ikuto said as he squat down to let me get on.

"Uh…" I could tell I was blushing. There was no point in arguing so I got on. "Wow…You're so warm!"

"Please don't say that with a goofy grin on your face, Amu."

"Sorry…"

We were both silent on the way home. Halfway through, I decided to say something. "Was…Was what she said true?"

"What?"

"What Utau said…" My voice trailed off and I could tell I was blushing.

"I didn't mean it." Ikuto replied instantly.

I felt my eyes go wide. "…What…?" That was all I seem to manage to say. _Why am I so shocked?_

"Utau asked me some stuff about you before and to get her to stop, I just said that I liked you." Ikuto said quickly.

"Oh…um…is that so…?" I started to feel tears come down from my eyes and my chest started to hurt. _Why do I feel like this?_ Pretty soon, I couldn't fight back the tears and I used my hand to wipe them away.

"Amu, we're almost home, you have to go in alone, I can't carry you or else they'll suspect stuff…" His voice trailed off as he turned to look at me. "A-Amu! Why are you crying?!"

"It's –hic- noth –hic-ing." I managed to say. No matter how many times I had wiped away the tears, they just kept flowing back out, I couldn't use any excuse.

"Amu…" Ikuto put me down and looked at me in the face. "Did I say something…?"

"N-No!" _I actually don't know why I'm crying but I have a clue…_ "L-Let's just go back in…"

"Um…Ok…" Ikuto turned away and into the bushes around the house looking very confused.

I did my best to wipe away the tears and opened the door. "I'm home mom!" I called.

"Amu! Where were you?!" My mother scolded me.

I turned so I wasn't facing her. That way, they can't see how swollen my eyes were. "I'm sorry, I went kind of far. I took the bus. It started snowing so it took forever for the bus to come…"

My mother sighed. "Alright, Amu. Just don't do it again. Make sure to plan the route next time you go out. Your dinner is on the table."

"Uh…I don't really feel hungry… Can I eat later?" I turned to head upstairs.

"Sure. I'll leave it on the table."

"Thanks mom."

* * *

Upstairs, Ikuto wasn't in my room. He was taken away by Ami to play. I flopped down on my bed, thinking about today. I rolled around my bed slowly thinking again and again. There was no doubt in my mind now that I had cried so much from his words.

_I like Ikuto…_

* * *

**Bip: Woot! This fic might actually end sooner than I predicted xD**

**Lulu: But I still haven't made an appearance!**

**Bip: Don't worry I've got a role for you :33**

**Lulu: …By the way, about this chapter…**

**Bip: I know the situations seem out of the blue…**

**Lulu: …**

**Bip: What, I can't help it I had to make it longer. Other wise it would have ended when Utau gives Ikuto the file ****ò_ó**

**Lulu: …What ever… T_T Please review.**

* * *

Q: Wow, looks like its back to one month intervals…?

A: …o.o

Q: What's that expression for?!

A: …Er…

Q: Don't pretend you don't know!

A: Next question please.

Q: T­_T Ok, preview for next chapter?

A: Um…Ok, I'll tell something! ^.^

Q: What is it then?

A: What Ikuto really is will be revealed xD

Q: Wait isn't he just a cat…?

A: Nope and we're out of time xD bye byes…

* * *

And btw, i made a new fic :D check it out plz...


	13. The Truth Part 1

**Bip: …I've run out of good characters to do the disclaimer T-T. Thus, I resort to this.**

**Gozen (I'm calling him Gozen for those who don't know who he really is): …**

**Bip: Actually, I think I forgot someone…o.o…did I?**

**Gozen: …**

**Bip: Can't you say something =_=**

**Gozen: If I don't need to, why would I say anything? **

**Bip: …You know, if it wasn't because of your age, I just might hit you…hard in the face T-T**

**Gozen: Try and I'll sue you.**

**Bip: …T-T**

**Gozen: It sure is a good thing you don't own Shugo Chara.**

**(Bip: Shut up! Someone make this guy shut up!)**

* * *

"Talking"

_Thinking_

"YELLING"

"_Person saying something special or person thinking back to what another person said. You'll have to figure it out yourself :O"_

* * *

_**Chapter 13: The Truth Part 1**_

**-Narrator's POV-**

Eru sat on top of a buiding, looking down. _I'm glad that Amu admits it now, but its probably too late…_ Eru looked behind her. The ghost girl was looking kneeling on the ceiling of the building, looking down the chimney. _After all, this fool is with me._ For the past hour, the girl had been looking at things and being surprised by them. _It seems like she came from a different century..._

"Eru! I've thought of everything, now. I've numbered all my questions in the order I want you to answer them!"

"Um…sure? But, as an angel, I've got better things to do!"

"Like being a matchmaker?" The girl said, joking.

"Exactly!"

The ghost gave Eru a blank stare. "…I was joking…" she mumbled. "Anyways, here are my questions…About Ikuto…" Eru hung her head a little, like a child apologizing for something she's done. "Um! I'll ask about that later!"

"Ok, I guess the truth will come out sooner or later. Preferably later…" Eru said sighing.

"Right…Anyways, I want to know, why aren't I being reincarnated like normal?" The ghost walked around before continuing. "When a person is being reincarnated, they would be reborn, as a normal child, right? As an infant, with a new life."

"That's correct."

"So why is it like this, now? I'll be reborn soon and at the age of 11. I'll be a sixth grader soon. This will happen as soon as Ikuto…"

Eru's face fell. "…yes, you'll all be reincarnated very soon, perhaps in a few months…"

"…Um, ok, I'll try not to talk about that..." She thought carefully before speaking again. "Basically, when I'm reincarnated, I'm not an infant. I'm already someone who can think for herself. It's like 'inserting' a life in to the world. But, if reincarnations like that just happens…" She paused, a little puzzled.

"When that happens, the new life would have no family, no future and time and everyone's destiny would be changed and warped." Eru finished for her. "That's why when we have to do this, we have to change the people this person meet's memories so that their family and friends would know them."

"But Ikuto's –"

"So what is your question?" Eru yelled at her before the ghost could finish.

"…My…My question is…why do I have to be reincarnated this way, why couldn't it be a normal way…?"

"I'm sorry." Eru said softly. "It's because of Ikuto, really. He's been like this for a long time, even before he met Amu. Like a bomb, the time is ticking away and pretty soon everyone will have to say goodbye."

The ghost's eyes went wide. "You don't mean—!"

"Sorry." Eru cut her off. "The sun is coming up. I have something to do and you can't even normally stay in the sunlight, right."

The girl looked over at the east, the sun really was coming out. The girl frowned and glared at Eru. "Alright, but you're not getting out of this. You're going to tell me tomorrow!"

"Sure…" Eru spread her wings out as the ghost disappeared. "Sorry, I'll have to keep you in the dark just a little longer." She mumbled. **(A/N: And that's what I'm going to do to you till the end of this chapter xD. Yes, I know I'm evil xDDD)**

* * *

**-Amu's POV-**

I didn't speak to Ikuto since I didn't really know what to say now. We didn't get many chances to speak either since Ami got her hands on some kitty clothes and Ikuto became her model. I was really confused, too. _This is like a manga or something, since when do humans and cats fall in love…?_

I was sitting on the couch, deep in thought. My parents were out and Ami was upstairs. The T.V was on, but I wasn't paying any attention to it. That was why I was so shocked when the phone rang.

"H-Hello…?" I said, slowly.

"What have you been doing, Amu?" A creepy voice said.

I slowly took the phone away from my ear and put it back on the receiver. A few seconds later, the phone rang again.

"Hello?" I said again.

"Sorry, Amu, for playing that prank on you!" Yaya's voice said.

"Yea, you sounded so suspicious." Nagihiko said.

"Am I on speaker?" I asked in case their parents were around and I said something stupid.

"No, we're on four-way." I heard Rima's voice say. "Although, I did put you guys on speaker."

"What?!" Yaya yelled. I quickly put my phone on speaker and lowered the volume. "Then everyone heard when I said I wanted to run away?!"

"You were going to run away?!" I asked before Rima responded.

"No, I'm grounded. And I really wanted to go to this concert so I was thinking of sneaking out of the house, if that counts as running away."

My eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "Right, so what did you call me for? A four way phone call is pretty expensive."

"It can't be more expensive than a long distance call." Nagihiko muttered. "Anyways, we're going to the shrine for new years. Do you want to come?"

"Huh?" My parents didn't mention about any shrines nearby.

"Bring anyone you'd like. Most of the class is coming, too."

_That's great…It's going to be super crowded…_

"So are you coming?" Rima asked.

"Um…I don't know. I mean, I don't even know where it is…"

"Oh, it's behind the school." Yaya said, a little over excited.

"Yea, behind the lake." Rima added.

"So are you coming?" Nagihiko said.

"I'll think about it…"

"You should come!" Yaya said, over excited, again. "And bring that older blue hair boy again! The one that's like a cat!"

"W-W-W-WHAT?!?!?!?" I yelled. _How did they know about Ikuto?! Do they know I like him?_ I started blushing subconsciously.

"Aww, come on, news travel quickly, Amu-chi!"

"Yeah, they saw you with a blue hair boy in the school during vacation!" Rima joined in. _That must've been when I went to look for my scarf…_

"Uh…sure, I'll ask him to come…"

"Great, then we'll see you there!" Nagihiko said before I could change my mind and they all hung up like it was a routine.

* * *

I could hear Ami's giggles and Ikuto's complaining meows from the other end of the hallway. _Well, I'm going to have to talk to him again sooner or later…_ I opened the door slightly and poked my head in. Ami was making Ikuto wear a dress. It was kind of cute how she thought of Ikuto as female…

"Ami, I need Ikuto back."

"No! I want to pway with Ikuto!"

Ikuto looked at me as if I was saving him. "You can have him back tomorrow." I said as I picked up Ikuto, who was glaring at me now. I paused for a moment. He hadn't glared at me for a while and I suddenly remembered what he was like when I first found him, all grumpy and mean. _He really did change…_ I thought with a smile.

"…Okway." Ami said after thinking for a while.

I let Ikuto into my room first so he could change into human so we could commute. The door opened and Ikuto glared at me. "Do you have to give me back to her? You have no idea how painful it is for your arm to be forced in a direction it can't normally twist in."

"Yea, but if I didn't promise that you'd still be stuck there." I retorted. "Anyways." I wanted to get this over with before I start blushing like crazy. "I'm going to the shrine on new years with a few friends, do you want to come?" I said quickly.

"Ok, sure." He said. And as soon as he said that, I quickly left the room. I could feel my face getting warm. For some reason (probably cause he's a cat) I didn't want him to know I liked him.

* * *

"Do we really have to wear a kimono?" Ikuto asked me.

"No, but they said I should. I don't want to, but I my parents did buy me a new one." I said sighing. Ikuto was looking at his kimono. It was one of my dad's old ones. At least it would fit him.

"I've never tried to take off my normal clothes." Ikuto muttered.

"Well, now's the perfect chance." I said as I opened the closet door for him.

"I have to change in the closet?" He asked. By now, I was feeling less awkward around him.

"Yes since I don't want my parents to 'accidentally' see you walking out of the bathroom or something."

"Then can't you leave the room?"

"No. Since I don't want to stand outside the room, my parents will ask what the heck I'm doing and if I leave you in the room, what if my mom comes in to check on me?" My mom has been checking if I was in my room a lot since the time I got 'lost'.

Ikuto sighed as he gave in and I slammed the door the moment he walked in.

Soon, Ikuto walked out with his kimono on. "Huh, turns out the clothes do come off. Should I try washing them…?" He said as he inspected his clothes, then he looked up at me. "Amu? Are you blushing?"

"W-What?!" I said, surprised. "I-It's nothing!" I said, quickly turning around and leaving the room. "I'll-I'll see you downstairs! Use the balcony so mom and dad won't see you!" I almost yelled at him before I slammed the door. I hurried down the stairs.

"Be back by 9, all right, Amu?" My mom said to me as I headed out the door.

"Sure!" I slammed the door and waited for Ikuto at the porch. I patted my cheeks, hoping that'll make me blush less, but I only succeeded in making myself redder by slapping myself.

"Amu? Why are you slapping yourself?" Ikuto asked me.

"Ah!" I said "You're here! Than let's go!" I said quickly and almost ran down the block.

Ikuto caught up to me in almost no time. "Amu…why are you acting so weird all of a sudden?"

"Weird? I'm weird acting not!"

Ikuto raised an eyebrow. _Whoops…I guess I have been acting weird…_

"L…Look. It's nothing. You don't have to worry about it. Let's just go to the shrine…" I said as I felt my face getting warm again.

* * *

By the time we got there, it seems that the whole school was already there.

"Great…" I heard Ikuto mutter. "I hate crowded places…"

"Amu-chi ~!" I heard Yaya's piercing scream from across the shrine. The student council members were standing in the middle of the shrine, surrounded by many, many students.

"Did…Did they invite everyone they knew?" I asked in disbelief.

"Wow! I was only kidding when I asked you to bring him…" Yaya said as she looked up at Ikuto. I realized just how tall Ikuto was compared to everyone else here. How old was he anyways?

"Nice to meet you…" Nagihiko said, trying to make a conversation with Ikuto.

"My name's Ikuto."

"Ok, I'm Nagihiko. And this is Kukai, …" Nagihiko went on to introduce everyone. "…And this is Kairi…"

Kairi stared at Ikuto. "…Do I know you from somewhere?" He asked. He seemed puzzled by something. "I could swear you were shorter at that time, though…" He muttered.

"Oh, do you mean Yoru?" Miki asked Kairi. "Ikuto and Yoru look really alike."

"Er, no." Kairi said as he flipped open his notebook. "I don't know anyone named Yoru."

"Really? I can't imagine another Ikuto look alike…" I said with a laugh. Kairi continued to flip through his notebook. _Does he write down everything in there? Even people he meet?_

Kairi stopped at a page in his notebook and his eyes lit up. "Ah, Ikuto-san is your last name…Tsukiyomi?"

"…No." Ikuto answered.

_Of course, Ikuto doesn't have a last name… Unless he decides to be considered a part of my family…_

"Then what is your last name?" Rima asked.

Everyone turned their attention to me, for some reason. They stared at me, expecting an answer. "W-What should I say?!" I whispered to Ikuto.

"Just make something up!" Ikuto whispered back.

"Um…Um…Amaterasu!" I finally shouted.

"…" Everyone stared at me and Ikuto.

"Thanks, Amu." Ikuto muttered. "Amaterasu Ikuto. That sounds very interesting…"

"…How do you write that…?" Kairi asked as he scribbled in his notebook.

"Why the heck did you have to say 'Amaterasu' of all names?"

"I didn't mean to…" I said as I tried to avoid his gaze. "When they said Tsukiyomi, it made me think of the legends and being put on the spot, I could only think of Amaterasu…" I said, hoping he'd be satisfied with that answer. **(A/N: In Japan there is are myths on the sun god whose name is Amaterasu and Tsukiyomi, who is the moon god. I don't know if Amaterasu is a real last name, though… .__.)**

Ikuto sighed "Whatever. As long as no one repeats it again." He muttered to me. "Amaterasu Ikuto…It just doesn't sound natural…" He turned to walk towards the shop. "Amu, I'll be at the gift shop, I think I'll buy a charm or something."

"Um, Ok." I said. _What would a cat wish for…?_

"Hey, where's Tadase?" Kukai asked.

"Oh, Amu you didn't see him?" Nagihiko asked me.

"Huh?!" I said as I turned my attention away from Ikuto. "Why would I have seen him…"

"Don't you know…?" Rima asked. "He lives a few blocks away from your house and you would've passed it if you walked to this shrine."

"Er…" I tried to remember what happened as I was walking here. "…No, I don't think I saw him." I finally said.

Then I remembered something.

"_Ikuto? Why are you staring at that house?" Ikuto was staring at a house. We had just walked a few blocks when Ikuto suddenly stopped._

"_Uh, nothing. I thought I saw something flash in that house."_

"_Something flash?" I looked at the house it was completely dark._

"_Never mind, Amu. I was probably seeing things." Ikuto said and walked ahead._

Other than that, nothing else happened. _That couldn't have been…Tadase's house, could it?_

"Oh well, he'll probably come later, then." Kukai said. "Oh, I still have to make my wish for the New Year!" Kukai said and left the group.

"He just can't sit still, can he?" Musashi said as he adjusted his glasses.

"Oh my gosh!" Yaya yelled. "They're selling candy!" She ran off before anyone said anything.

And just like that, everyone soon found something else to do and I was left by my self. _I should go make my wish…_ I thought as I approached the shrine. I stopped and got ready to pray. _…But, what should I wish for?_ I stood there, ready to pray, but nothing came to mind. _World peace? No, been there, done that and it didn't work for the past few years…_

"Amu…" Rima stood next to me. "What are you going to wish for?"

"Um…I don't know. Nothing really comes to mind right, now. I guess I'm happy with the way my life is right, now."

"Well, I want candy!" Yaya, who walked up to us with a many types of candy said. "I'm going to wish for lots and lots of candy!"

"Well…That's…" I was at a lost of words. For a girl who acts immature, she can easily think up her wishes. I sighed. "How about you, Rima? What are you going to wish for?" I asked.

Rima suddenly looked sad. "I…I have two wishes right, now. I want them both to come true…"

"Now I'm curious! What is it?" Yaya asked, dropping all her candy.

"Um… It's a secret." Rima said with a small smile.

"Aww! Tell us! Tell us!" Yaya yelled.

"Yea, I mean it's just us here." I said, hoping that would give her some confidence.

"Ok, ok. I'll tell you one." Rima finally said. Yaya and I stayed silent, waiting for her to tell us. Rima started blushing. "I…I…like Nagihiko…"

"EH?!?!?" Yaya and I both shouted at the same time.

"Be quiet. We're free to like whoever we want. Hmph." Rima said and turned back to the shrine to start praying.

"So Rima-tan is praying for her love life…" Yaya said in a soft voice. "That's so mature…"

"I didn't." Rima said, facing us again. "I decided my other wish is more important."

"Aww…" Yaya said as Rima left. "Ah, but I don't think I want to pray for candy, now."

"Huh? Why not?" I thought wishing for candy was good for her, it makes sense anyways…

"I know!" Yaya said and suddenly started praying. "Well, if I tell you my wish, it might not come true…" She said as she finished praying. "But I'll tell you this, I prayed for the person I like most!" She said with a smile.

"H-Huh?!" I said, surprised. "Yaya likes someone too?!"

"I never said that!" Yaya said. "It's the person I liked best… Everyone has someone they like, whether they're a girl or boy, no matter the age! They all have someone who's number one to them!" Yaya said and ran off, mad at me.

"…Why was she so mad…? Does she like someone who's older than her…? Someone who doesn't acknowledge her…?" I said to myself as she ran off. "…That speech of her's sounded so mature…I feel sort of dumb, now."

I sat down and started praying. _There's one thing I don't have that I still want… The person I treasure the most right, now…_

_I wish that Ikuto can be happy. I wish that Ikuto and I can be together._

I stood up with a smile. It was like two wishes, but in the end, I just want the both of us to be happy together.

* * *

By 8:30 most people have left. The sun was bright today, melting what's left of the snow.

"Where did Ikuto go…?" I muttered as I waited at the entrance. I looked at all the people passing through, but I still couldn't find Ikuto.

Giving up waiting, I decided to go back in to see if I could find him. After searching through the entire shrine, I decided to look around the woods; there were a few paths that go through the entire forest.

"Damn it." I muttered. "I knew I should've given him a cell phone…"

"Ah! This is great!" I heard someone say.

_That's weird, why would anyone be in the woods when the shrine's out there…Well, Ikuto's an exception…_

I looked past the bushes and saw two people. One was a blonde girl who looked a lot like Utau and the other was a girl with short black hair. _Uh…Are those WINGS?! _There were something white on the blonde girl's back, they look like folded up wings.

"Whoohoo! This is awesome!" The black hair girl continued to say. "Before I could only materialize completely at night, but now I'm almost no longer transparent in the day, too!" She said with a grin.

The blonde girl nodded. "Yes, alright, I've answered a lot of your questions over the past few days. Do you have any left?"

"Yea." The girl said with a grin. "Why is Ikuto special?"

_Huh?! They were talking about Ikuto?!_

"What…What do you mean…?" The blonde girl said, she seemed pressured at the question.

"I already know, Ikuto is a ghost cat who died a long time ago, right?" The black hair girl said.

_WHAT?_

"I want to know." The girl continued. "Why is his time on earth extended?"

_WHAT? Ikuto...Ikuto is dead? Ikuto is a ghost?!_

I was shocked and I took a step backwards. A twig snapped loudly as I accidentally stepped on it. Both girls turned to look at me.

"Amu?!" Eru cried out in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"What's going on?!" I asked. "What do you mean? Who is Ikuto really?!" I demanded from them. The black hair girl just looked shocked and Eru looked as if she was apologizing to me in some way.

"Amu, Ikuto isn't –"

"Tell me!" I cut her off.

Then, the next thing I knew, something black covered my eyes. "So, Eru, you've made a second mistake…Heheheh…" A new voice from behind me said.

The blackness left my eyes and I could see who was behind me. It was a girl with dark red hair and black wings.

"Chihana!" Eru cried out in surprise. "What…What happened to your wings?! They're…pitch black…"

The girl grinned evilly. "They're my punishment for meddling with things. Heh. Angels with black wings aren't allowed to be reincarnated. That's fine for me."

"W-What…angels?" I asked, I didn't know what was going on anymore.

"Eru, they've caught on to your mistake, too." Chihana said as she pointed at Eru's wings. One of the feathers in her right wing was turning black. "What you did back then, just because you were weak at heart, you've let Ikuto live."

"What?!" I asked. "Ikuto…Ikuto's not dead! He's not a ghost! He's alive!" I shouted at them.

Chihana glared at me. "And how do you know that?" She asked leaning close to me, grinning. "Can you tell me, why does he turn from a human into a cat? Can you tell me where he is now?"

My eyes widened in fear. I didn't know the answers. The only answer would be that he wasn't real. And I don't want that to be the answer.

"Listen up, Amu. Today was his last day."

"What?" Eru asked. "No way…" She turned to the black hair girl. "Of course…even you've been able to materialize…"

"…Last…day?"

"Yes, the reason you can't find him is because he's going to vanish today."

"But…why?" I managed to say. Tears rolled down my face as I thought of never seeing Ikuto again.

"Tch. Not even Ikuto knows. Eru's never told him." She paused as if thinking about something. She grinned. "Would you like to know?" She asked me.

I starred at her, wondering if I should trust her.

"No!" Eru yelled at Chihana. "Don't…You…can't tell…"

"Can't tell?" Chihana glared at her. "And why not? This is the truth of what happened." She turned back to me. "Well? It's your decision. I won't do anything if you don't want to know."

I pretended to think hard, waiting to see their expressions, but I had already made up my mind. I knew what I would say the moment she asked.

I nodded. "Yes."

"Alright." Chihana said, grinning. "Then let's go visit the past." She grabbed my hand and before I knew it, we were high up in the sky.

"Where…Where are we going?! Weren't you going to tell me…?!"

"Of course. But, telling is easier when you show them what happened!" She stopped and hovered in midair. "Now, don't let go of my hand, understand? Traveling through time is tricky and with you dangling in midair, I could easily drop you and you'll be lost in time."

I nodded as I saw the people on the streets walk backwards as the sun rises and sets, with the moon coming up and going down. I could tell that months and years are going by.

Finally the place stopped rewinding.

"Well, we're here. Now we just have to find them." She flew off in a direction near my house and stopped a few blocks away. "Look down."

I did and I was shocked at what I saw.

I saw a small blue furred kitten held by...a little Tadase?

* * *

**Bip: Well, this story's almost going to end! Finally!**

**Gozen: …I'm curious…**

**Bip: About what?**

**Gozen: How are you going to post this up? Your computer's broken, the one that goes online.**

**Bip: Erk… Well…if you're reading this than… I somehow got it on…. For the time being, I'll just type up more chapters… *Sobs…I want the internet! I still have to read the new Shugo Chara chapter!!***

**Gozen: …**

**Bip: …**

**Gozen: Are you done?**

**Bip: Yes.**

**Gozen: Ok then, please review.**

* * *

Q: Are you lying about your computer?

A: Sadly, no. TT^TT

Q: Then where are you typing this now?!

A: My laptop. It doesn't have wireless and as a punishment for using the computer too long my parents took the wires connecting my laptop to the router thingy away…

Q: =A=

A: So I've been bored enough these days to actually get around to defeating the elite four on my Pokemon Diamond game…

Q: I didn't say anything.

A: Yeah, but I figured you'd be complaining about what I've been doing on my free time since it's July already and I've been out of school since June 20…

Q: …

A: Yes, its time to say bye.

(Q: .___.)

* * *

Edit: My computer's fixed now, but its not like it was before, it doesn't have microsoft word .__. so I wasn't sure if I did the line breaks correctly

-__-;; please bear with it until i can get microsoft programs again... TT^TT


	14. The Truth Part 2

**Bip: Ok, my computer's fixed now o.o**

**Tsukasa: That's great news right?**

**Bip: No… They had to delete windows and now… let's just say its all in Chinese since that's the version they had T-T And I can't understand a thing it says…**

**Tsukasa: But at least it works!**

**Bip: Its super virus-prone -__- and I wanted to download some of the latest manga, but now I'm afraid to…**

**Tsukasa: Sorry to hear that.**

**Bip: Its ok, lets just get on with the story…**

**Tsukasa: Alright. Bip doesn't own Shugo Chara!**

* * *

"Talking"

_Thinking_

"YELLING"

"_Person saying something special or person thinking back to what another person said. You'll have to figure it out yourself :O"_

* * *

_**Chapter 14: The Truth Part 2**_

**-Amu's POV-**

_Well…It did seem like Ikuto knew Tadase…And Tadase was pretty shocked when he first saw Ikuto in cat form, but he said he lost his memory of it…_

"Well, that's Ikuto when he was still alive." Chihana said as we landed. "The cat I mean. Oh, and they can't see, hear, or feel our presence in any way."

"That's good." I said as I came out from hiding behind a tree.

"Keep in mind that you can't help them when their in trouble either."

"Huh? Trouble…?"

"There's a reason Ikuto died, you know."

_Well, if that's the case, I'll change the past. There must be a way if I can come back in time…_

Tadase was petting Ikuto. They were sitting on the front porch when the door opened and a man stepped out. "Daddy!" Tadase cried out.

"WHAT?!" I yelled out. "That's his dad when he was younger! They look nothing alike!" I had seen Tadase's parents once at a PTA meeting. Tadase's father defiantly didn't look that muscular, nor did he look like he was part of a biker gang…

"I know." Chihana said. "It's hard to believe they're father and son."

"Huh?" I was too surprised to notice. (After all, Tadase's mom and dad looked like a normal couple…) **(A/N: They showed Tadase's parents in the manga already, but how they look escapes me right now… -__-;; How they look in the manga is how Amu saw them at the PTA meeting…)** I looked at the two again. It's true. "Um…I guess Tadase takes after is mom…?"

"Well, I guess that would explain why he looks so girly…" Chihana muttered.

"Thank you so much for Ikuto, Daddy!" Tadase said to his dad as he picked him up to let him ride on his shoulders.

"No problem. I couldn't leave him all abandoned on the streets anyways." His dad sighed. "I can't believe someone would leave a kitten as small as him in a cardboard box…"

"…Wait…" I said. "A biker gang member saved a kitten. Something's wrong here…It sounds like a shojo manga…"

"Well, maybe he's not a gang member." Chihana said with a smirk. "Just watch. Pretend it's a movie."

"Can I…" Tadase's voice trialed off. "Can I show him to mother?"

His dad frowned slightly. "Sure… Go up and get changed, ok?"

"Ok!" Tadase's dad put him down and he ran into the house. I could hear him run up the stairs, tripping once in the process.

Tadase's dad sighed. "I couldn't tell him that was a gift from his mother for his birthday and not from me…

_? Are his parents divorced? It didn't seem that way to me…_

As Tadase came out of the house with Ikuto walking next to him, the scene started to shift. The two of them were in the car and they were moving fast. But, although Chihana and I weren't moving at all, we moved along with them. It was like we were moving along with the scene without moving an inch.

I glanced at Chihana. "I told you." She said. "This is like a movie. If the scene moves, we'll move along with it."

"O-Ok…" I muttered. The car finally came to a stop. I gasped at what I saw. "But…But that's a…!"

The car had stopped in front of a cemetery. I looked at Chihana. "That doesn't make sense! I saw his parents before! He had a mom."

Chihana glared at me. "I told you to just watch."

The three of them walked along the rows of graves and stopped in front of one where a woman was sitting. She looked like she was lost in her own time.

"Auntie!" Tadase cried out as he ran over to the woman and hugged her.

"Oh, hello, Tadase…" The woman said as she picked Tadase up.

"I came to show mother Ikuto." Tadase said with a grin. "When will she come back from the place beyond this stone?"

"Um… Soon?" The woman said with a forced smile. "Hopefully soon." She glanced at Ikuto. "Ikuto's a nice name… Why don't we leave for, its late and aren't you hungry?"

"…" Tadase thought for a moment. "Yes, can we go eat something?"

"Sure." The woman said as she put him down. "Wait for us at the gate, ok?"

Tadase nodded and ran past the graves with Ikuto following him.

* * *

After the first day past, Chihana was starting to look pissed. "Ok, this is taking too long, I was hoping I time travel would fast forward on its own, but I guess not…" She continued to grumble. "Let's go in to the future a few years from now."

"Er…ok?" I said, although it didn't seem like a few years from now would make any difference…

The world started spinning forward, now. It was sunrise, then sunset and I could see people walking by speedily. Finally, the world stopped speeding and it was nighttime. "Look through the window." Chihana ordered me. I did as she told me. From the window, I could see into the living room. Tadase's father was busy working on something. He was twitching and grumbling.

The door opened and Tadase walked in. He was about 5 or 6 now. (He was around 3 before) "Daddy, Ikuto isn't eating his food…"

"Just make him eat it then, otherwise he'll starve to death. We already took him to the vet and he said to make sure he eats something everyday. Something about him being depressed." Tadase's dad said impatiently.

"But –"

"No but's, just leave me alone, you don't have to deal with bills!" He yelled at Tadase as he threw something at him. Tadase winced as it hit him and he quickly exited the room.

"What? Why did he throw a calculator at him! He's just a kid?!" I asked Chihana.

Chihana smirked. "That guy doesn't just look buff, he is strong. And he tends to throw things when he's angry. You should see him when he wants to fight someone." Chihana said with a grin as if she was enjoying the thought of blood. "Tadase just became a punching bag around this time."

"What?! But that's his own son!"

"Heh." Chihana smirked again. "He doesn't just look like he's part of a biker gang. He _is _in a gang."

"So you're saying, he'll hurt someone, no matter who they are…?"

"Yup." Chihana said. "Take a look into the other rooms." And before I could protest, she grabbed my arm and flew up to the second floor. She looked into one of the rooms. "Well, that calculator was pretty big…"

I peeked into the room. It was Tadase's room. He was holding a tissue to his forehead and it looked like there was blood on it. "Ah, Ikuto…" Tadase said as he saw Ikuto come out from under his bed. "Did you eat, yet?"

Ikuto meowed.

"Please eat, Daddy will get mad again…I mean I'm really big so when he throws things at me, I only get a few cuts, but if he throws something at you, Ikuto, you could get badly hurt…and I don't want that to happen…" Tadase said as he stroked Ikuto.

I watched the two of them. At least in a way, they had a happy life and I'm sure that his father was just really mad at the moment. _Nothing could go wrong…Chihana was lying when she said Ikuto died…right?_

Next to me, Chihana yawned. "This is sooo boring…" Time began to fast forward again. When we stopped, it was morning as Tadase walked out of his house. He had a schoolbag on, it must've been time for school.

"Tadase!" A voice shouted. I was in shock for moment as I saw a miniature Souma Kukai.

"Um…" I asked Chihana.

"Hey, this is the past, don't be surprised to see other people you know." Chihana said with a smirk.

"Er…ok?" This girl was starting to get on my nerves…

"Hello Kukai…" Tadase said as he jumped down the porch to talk to his friend.

"Huh?" Kukai said as he saw Tadase's hand. "You hurt your hand again?"

"Oh this?" Tadase held up his hand which was bandaged. "Yeah, I was stupid and I touched the pot when it was still cooking."

"Um…pot handles don't conduct heat…"

"No, I didn't use the handle, I touched its metal surface." Tadase said with a grin as Kukai stared at him in shock.

"Man, I worry about your future, last week you said you hurt your head because you got a new trampoline and you used it in your room and it your head on the ceiling…"

"Um…I guess I was just careless?" Tadase said with a grin.

"And the scariest thing is that you tell me this with a grin on your face! I mean, isn't it painful?!"

"Pain doesn't last if you don't think about it. If we talk any longer, we'll be late for school."

"What?!" Kukai pulled out his cell phone to check the time. "Oh man, you're right! We have to hurry!" Kukai yelled as he grabbed Tadase and dashed away.

"…Kukai doesn't change no matter his age…" I said as I sweat dropped. "But, wow, I never thought Tadase was such an airhead…"

"He's not." Chihana said. "He's a good liar. And because of that, someone else is suffering. You can go look inside, if you want."

I glanced at the house warily. I peeked in the window again. Ikuto was sleeping on the armchair in the living room. _Wow, he looks so cute…_ I thought with a smile. _Just like now…_ Then I realized something. _He looks just like he does now… Like he hasn't aged at all…_

I was about to ask Chihana about that when Tadase's dad waked in. He quickly picked Ikuto up by the tail threw him on the ground and took the seat.

"H-Hey!" I shouted at him. I was ready to climb through the window and help Ikuto, but Chihana quickly grabbed my arm and stopped me from doing so. I turned back to glare at her. "What? He hurt Ikuto! Even… Even if he isn't human right now, he shouldn't be treated that way!" Ikuto was on the ground, wincing from the pain of landing on his head.

Chihana returned my glare with a more ferocious glare. "I warned you before. You can't help them when they're in trouble."

"But –"

Chihana shook her head. "It's the rule of how things work." She said as she pulled me off the window.

I stayed to watch by the window, wincing each time he abused Ikuto. _I can't help him… Why did I have to move around so much? If I had stayed in Japan since I was a kid… Maybe I could've done something to help Ikuto…_ I thought as tears started coming out of my eyes. "If only… I wasn't stupid to say I wanted to move around from place to place each year…" I mumbled.

Chihana folded her arms. "You really think so?" She said raising an eyebrow. "If you had not said that, would you have met Tadase? No. You wouldn't have known him when he was little."

I looked up at her. "That's not true! The possibility of it exists! I had a chance of meeting Ikuto back then!"

Chihana sighed. "And you think you could've stopped this? If you stayed in Japan, what makes you think you would've even lived in this town?" She glared at me again. "Fate doesn't work that way. The way Ikuto entered your life was the only way for the two of you to meet."

"But that's…" My voiced trailed off as I realized she was right. No matter what, I couldn't do anything to help Ikuto…

Chihana smirked. "Ikuto's death is just a few weeks away."

My eyes widened in surprise. "N-No way! You're lying! Ikuto's not a ghost!"

Chihana sighed and looked at me with pitying eyes. "Come on, Amu. You should be smarter then this. Think about it. There's no way a normal cat can live that long." She said as the scenery sped up again.

It was night time now as I saw the door to Tadase's house open and the three of them walked out, with Tadase holding Ikuto in his hands. It didn't seem like Tadase was hurt anywhere this time, although Ikuto looked a little bruised up.

"Hmm… Daddy, it's weird, but it seems like Ikuto's getting a lot of strange cuts, recently." Tadase said as he stroked Ikuto who was trying to stay away from Tadase's dad.

His dad glanced at Ikuto. "Maybe he was playing in the garden and got himself tangled in the rose bush. I haven't cut of the thorns in a while…"

_Liar! _I thought of punching him in the face. But, it wouldn't work since in this 'place' we were similar to ghosts.

Tadase glanced at Ikuto and seemed skeptical of his father's story, but he ended up ignoring that and continued to follow his father down the street.

_I wonder where they're going…?_

Finally, they stopped at a quiet street.

Tadase glanced around. "Huh? Daddy, why are we here? Weren't we going to a restaurant to eat?"

His father stopped walking. "Hey, Tadase… Do you remember when your Daddy's friends stopped by to visit me?"

Tadase glanced at him, thinking carefully before he said anything. "…Yes… They were yelling about something."

"Yes. They don't want me to be their leader anymore. Not unless I can convinced them that I'm strong and cruel enough to be their leader…"

My eyes widened and I gasped as I saw him pull a knife out. "N-NO!" I yelled as I tried to help them, but Chihana pulled me back.

"D-Daddy? What is it? Why are you…?" Even though Tadase didn't quite understand what might happen, he backed up. As his father walked closer to him, he walked farther away. Pretty soon, Tadase just dropped to his knees, too scared to walk anymore.

"He… He's not going to kill him is he?!" I asked Chihana, but she didn't respond. "Chihana!" _Tadase's alive in the future so everything should be fine! _I thought quickly, to calm myself, but no matter what, I don't want to see one of my friends get hurt and die…!

His father was about to stab him now and Tadase sat there, bracing himself, probably thinking that it'll be like all the other times, he'd get hurt, but the cut would heal.

"NO! DON'T!" I yelled as I got free of Chihana's grip. But before I got far, I saw something else happen. A streak of dark blue. It was Ikuto! Ikuto had jumped out of Tadase's arms and was making a deep scratch on Tadase's father's leg. I let a small sigh of relief as I saw him cry out in pain and turned his attention away from Tadase. But my relief was short lived.

His father didn't stop, instead, he turned to Ikuto. "What a hindrance!" He said as he picked him up. Ikuto squirmed and try to break free.

"NO! IKUTO!" I yelled as I tried to stop him from hurting Ikuto. Chihana moved in front of me and blocked me from going.

"I suggest you don't do this." Chihana said as she glared at me.

"IKUTO!" Tadase cried out as he saw the knife near the small blue cat.

"No!" I tackled Chihana hard as she fell and I ran over and tried to grab the knife and stop him.

"Stupid!" Chihana muttered. "You can't change the past!"

"Yes!" I cried as I grabbed the handle of the knife. But my happiness soon faded as I saw my hand go right through the knife and it continue its path.

Ikuto didn't move anymore and was laying on the ground now, where he was dropped. Tadase was crying where he sat and I kneeled in front of him. _I was right here the whole time, Ikuto… But I…I didn't do anything!_ "Ikuto…" I said as I realized that everything was the truth. Even if I had planned to change the past, it didn't work out. The tears dropped out of my eyes and landed on the ground, but left no mark. Even my tears couldn't make a scratch on the past. I didn't exist in this world. I couldn't help Ikuto no matter how many times I repeat this scene and try to fix it.

Tadase saw Ikuto lifeless on the ground. "Ikuto…" He started crying a lot and he let out a loud scream as he saw his father turn his attention back to him.

"T-Tadase…!" I thought maybe I could help him, but I didn't exist. _He's alive future, he should be fine!_

I was right. Before his father took another step, a police's siren was heard and two police officers walked in to the ally, surprised at what they saw. They quickly pointed their guns at him. "A call reported they heard a scream! What were you trying to do to that child, sir?!" The police asked as he quickly held up his hands. One officer went to handcuff Tadase's father and the other went to see if Tadase was ok.

Everything was fine again in a matter of minutes. Tadase had fallen asleep in the police car and his father was handcuffed and ready for jail. Only Ikuto was dead. He lay on the cement forgotten since Tadase had fallen asleep and no one told the police officers.

* * *

Chihana had disappeared to somewhere and I stayed by Ikuto, the police had been long gone and Ikuto stayed there. I waited to see and hope that maybe he wasn't dead since I can't pet him and see if he was warm or cold.

"Ikuto…" I muttered.

Then, to my surprise, I saw Ikuto's eyes blink.

"I-Ikuto?!" I was shocked speechless as he got up and looked around. Before my eyes, he turned into his human version. "I-Ikuto??" He stared at me. "Ikuto? Ikuto! Can you see me?" I asked desperately.

"Ikuto, you're human now. You get another chance." A voice behind me said.

I quickly turned around and saw Eru. "…Huh? Eru? What are you doing here…?"

"Another chance?" Ikuto said as he got up from his sitting position. They couldn't see me. This Eru was a part of the past, too.

"This time you're a human. You can change back to a cat but, you can be human, too." She said. She quickly jumped up onto a ladder that led her to the roof of one of the buildings. "Oh yeah, Ikuto, from now on if you have any questions, I'll be here. Come in your human form. If you don't like this place because of the memories…"

"No, it's fine. I'll get over it. It's just a matter of time." Ikuto said as he glanced around as if he was trying to discard each of the things that tied him to tonight away from his memories. "This second chance…does it let me live forever until I can find it?"

Eru looked at Ikuto with a look of pity. "No. When you're close to finding what you're looking for, I'll inform you. After that, you have a set date."

And with that she left. A slightly confused Ikuto sat back down on the pavement. "A human, huh? Why didn't I stay as a cat…?" He muttered.

_So… He survived!_ I thought with a smile. _They were lying after all._

"And that was the mistake Eru made." Chihana's voice came from behind me.

"Huh?!" I said as I turned around to face her. "Chihana where were you?! And what do you mean? Ikuto's still alive."

Chihana smirked. "Tch. That's what you think. I thought you were smart, Amu."

My eyebrow twitched when she said this. It was getting hard to not punch her.

"Ikuto died tonight. Eru, being soft and everything, decided to give Ikuto another chance as a human. At this point in time, Ikuto didn't even know he died." Chihana said.

"Afterwards, when Tadase woke up in the hospital, he couldn't remenber anything. He was adapted by his aunt and uncle. They never told him what happened to him before. All of his friends thought that his aunt and uncle was his parents since they've never visited his house before. Ikuto... He knew that if Tadase's father was still around, he might harm Tadase and the people around him, like you. So he found out that Utau was going to visit the prison where his father was since her father, the director of Easter is currently in jai for trying to steal money from Easter."

"Well, that concludes this story." Chihana said as she snapped her fingers. The world fast forwarded. "Eru broke one of the major rules of our society. She tried to change Ikuto's fate. As an angel, our job is to keep the people who are still living happy. Because Ikuto entered your life, you're happy. Now that he's going to leave, you'll be sad. And thus, Eru is punished for making this change."

"Its not her fault!" I yelled. "I'm… I'm fine with Ikuto being a ghost! I still love him either way!" I protested. _Eru just wanted to help Ikuto…_

Chihana smirked. "Ikuto's not going to stay. He's going to disappear and only come back when its his time to reincarnate. In other words, you may never see him again."

My eyes widened. "No…No way… You're lying!"

Chihana smirked. "Let me tell you, I got punished, too. If I hadn't done anything, Ikuto might've actually become human, if you had admitted that you liked Ikuto from the beginning. I prevented that. That's why my wings are black. When the higher ranked angels found out, they also found out what Eru did. Our black wings mean we can't be reincarnated. Not for at least a hundred years."

"So… you mean… because I didn't tell Ikuto I liked him…"

Time finally stopped moving. "That's right." Chihana said as we came back to the shrine.

A few feet away from me, Ikuto stood, his eyes wide.

"Ikuto…" I said weakly as I started crying. "I…I really like you…"

* * *

**Bip: And that's what happened to Ikuto in the past! :O I just wish I could've made it more epic T-T**

**Tsukasa: Hmm… I agree, as a fellow author.**

**Bip: … T-T I don't want to be an author. I want to be a manga artist…**

**Tsukasa: That's fine! You're still a story teller. Remember to believe in your skills and your heart's egg will help you!**

**Bip: o.O oookay….**

**Tsukasa: Please review!**

* * *

Q: How much longer will this story be?

A: Uh… two chapters more max o.o

Q: I'll just say without asking this time, since I always get the same answer. UPDATE.

A: I get it! Geez… I'm trying! I'm busy during summer…

Q: But it's summer… most people are most free at that time T-T

A: Not me. D: I'm in a beta battle and I have an art contest coming up D:

Q: Or, you've been procrastinating.

A: That too xD

Q: o.O;;

A: Bye bye xD


	15. Goodbye

**I've been gone for months. I apologize. Please forgive me! Simply put, first I was lazy to write/type, then I had block, then microsoft word just plain hated me. It was still a trial despite that I had put the code in. I'm not kidding, I'm typing this on wordpad right now D8**

**I'm still kind of on block right now, OTL...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Shugo Chara. I mean, really, is it not obvious by now?**

* * *

"Talking"

_Thinking_

"YELLING"

"_Person saying something special or person thinking back to what another person said. You'll have to figure it out yourself :O"_

* * *

**_Chapter 15: Goodbye_**

**-Amu's POV-**

The tears didn't stop. They wouldn't stop. It was like a slient determined refusal to stop. I've finally told him that I liked him, but its the last time I'll ever see him. _Why does it have to end this way?_ I thought. _Life and destiny was rather cruel._

"Amu. Amu, stop crying." Ikuto said softly, bending down to wipe the tears away. "...Its not like you to cry."

"D-Don't joke about that!" I said between hiccups. "I'll never see you again!" I started shaking my head in anger.

"Amu, listen." He held my face and stopped me from moving. "I promise that we'll see each other again. Is that alright with you?"

"No!" I called out, rather loudly.

"Its...Its not?" He said, rather shocked.

"No! Its not!" I repeated in case he needed clarification. "...I need to know when as well!"

"Amu! I can't just tell you stuff that I don't even know!"

"Well, fix it so that you know!" I told him with a slightly angry tone.

"Don't ask for the unreasonable!"

"What part of that is unreasonable--"

"A-hem..." Chihana cleared her throat to catch our attention. "...If you're at least halfway done with your lover's quarrel... Can we have your attention for a moment?" She said with sarcasm.

"..." We were both speechless at what she said. _That...bitch. She's the cause of all this..._ I thought bitterly with resentment to her.

"...Unfortunately for me, you've got the rest of today to have fun." She said with a sigh as if Ikuto disappearing was not important at all.

"J-Just today?!" I said in shock. "B-But its already..." I quickly checked my watch. "Its already...WHAT?! 3 PM?!" I yelled. Just how long did Chihana keep me in the past?! I looked, glared actually, at her for an explanation.

As if to piss me off, she just shrugged. "Time passes differently here and there."

"Chihana! At least feel somewhat regretful for what you've done!" Eru said in a slightly scolding tone.

"....Mmm..."Chihana closed her eyes as if she was concentrating on something. "...Sorry nothing." She said with a shrug. "At least I tried."

"Chihana you...--"

"Chihana, just because you're a girl and just because you're an angel, doesn't mean I won't punch you!" Ikuto yelled at her before I could finish my threat.

"Well, excuse me for trying to pretend I was regretful!" She said, pretending to be hurt by his comment. "Well, see you, suckers!" She said with a smirk before flying off.

"I...I really apologize for her..." Eru muttered. "But...every word of hers is true, despite what I wish to believe." She said, looking down at the ground.

"Eru...Its not your fault." I said, trying to make her feel better.

"Y-Yes, it is!" She said, burying her face in her hands. "I-If only I wasn't soft hearted back then...If only! Then you wouldn't have to suffer like this...!"

"...No, that's wrong, Eru." I said softly. "...If you hadn't made that mistake back then, then I would've never been able to meet Ikuto. Right?"

"...I...I..." Eru mumbled something that I couldn't hear. "...I'm still very sorry about this!" She said, turning to leave. "I-I'll leave you two alone now!" And with that said, she flew off as well.

"...And there she goes..." I mumbled grumpily as she seemed to follow the same path as Chihana.

"...Amu."

Hearing my name being called, I snapped my attention back to Ikuto who seemed to be thinking hard about something. "Yes, what is it?"

"I'm going to have to leave soon."

At hearing that, I really want to smack him once for stating the obvious. As if it hadn't upset me enough the first time I heard that.

"...I wish I realized it sooner. Eru being an angel. Tadase too. I wonder if he remembers what happened now."

"O-Oh yea, he couldn't remember..." My voice trailed off.

"He couldn't remenber because I still 'existed' in a way. So...maybe if I left, he would remenber again?" He said as he leaned against a tree. "I...must've caused him a lot of grief."

"...No! I don't think so!" Ikuto looked at me at my sudden statement. "I-I mean...from what Chihana showed me, it...it seemed like he depended on you a lot. And he really cared about you...A-Although I can understand now...why you dislike him. Because of that..."

"He depended on me? ...Oh, right, I guess you can say I forgot he did." He muttered. "He...was a kind person in the end. I was hard on him. ...Oh, that's right!" He said as if he had remenbered something. "That time, I was talking with Utau."

"Oh...you mean at the guest room. I remember, I heard that you...ah...liked...me..." My voice trailed off. It was too awkward.

"Er...Yes...Yes...I...uh...did..." He muttered, seemingly to feel ackward as well. "Ahem...Well, what I meant was what Utau and I was discussing before that. The person we were talking about...would be Tadase's dad. His real dad, that is."

"You mean the one that..."

"Yes. The one that killed me." There was bitterness in the air coming form both of us, directed towards that man. "...Well, he was locked up, thankfully, for child abuse. Clearly, he's going to be upset once he gets out. He does have quite a temper and he is the leader of a gang."

"...Yes, I kind of know all that from Chihana showing me everything." I muttered, feeling somewhat impatient.

"Well...I don't know when he'll be released. Utau lost that piece of paper." He said with some disappointment in his voice. "And...I'm worried. That if he is released, he'll go after Tadase for being the reason for his sentence. And...because you're around Tadase quite a bit..."

He didn't need to finish that sentence for me to understand. Anyone near him might be in danger.

"...And I won't be around to protect you. That's what I regret the most." He said softly. Not being able to protect the one I care about the most."

"Well, y-you can...um...watch over me from heaven?" I said hopefully.

"For Pete's sake, do you think I'll gain wings or something? I'm just going to be a normal spirit up in heaven. Not everyone that turns into an angel becomes an agent of God!"

"I get it Ikuto! Don't act so exasperated because of a joke I made."

"..." He let out a sigh. "I'm sorry. I'm just a bit touchy." He muttered. "...It feels like someone learning that they'll only live for a certain amount of years. But...Its not a certain amount of years but by the end of the day. At least it isn't painful like cancer."

"...That's not an analogy, Ikuto. That's what's actually happening." I stated.

"You're being rather blunt today."

"You're not the only one on edge."

We were silent for a moment. You'd think we'd try to spend as much time together as possible, but it just didn't seem to happen. Our minds were only pesimestic right now.

"Ikuto...we won't ever get a happy ending, would we?" I asked, softly, in a low tone, afraid of saying it in a loud voice.

"Don't say that...I'm sure we'll be happy too."

"No. We won't. This isn't a fairytale. As much magic is involved." My own words, I didn't want to believe them. "...I wonder if everyone else's love stories are like this."

"...I don't know. Why don't you ask them. Not me. I've only been in love once and its already my last time." Ikuto said, looking upwards now.

"..." Another awkward silence. Why is it that everything ends up being awkward? It didn't exactly sit well with me that I was his one and only love. Not that I'm not happy about it. It just...made me feel kind of bad and a little self conscious. "...I've decided Ikuto."

"What?" He said, curious now as he turned to look at me.

"...I won't. I won't ever, ever, ever fall in love again after you're gone! You'll be my one and only love!" I was aware of the fact that my face felt warm and that I was probably beet red by now.

Ikuto looked suprise for a moment, before walking over to me and petting me on the head with an amused smile. "...Thank you, Amu. You don't know how happy that makes me. Because you're the one person I love as well."

My face turned another shade of red and I remained silent, too happy to make a word out.

"You...You're really cute like that you know." He said with a short chuckle.

"Hey, I--"

I couldn't say anything.

No.

Not a single word.

I never thought it'd be like this.

Soft and warm.

The feel of tears.

Or maybe that was just the circumstances.

That was my first kiss.

Pulling away, Ikuto looked at me with a smirk. "Seems like that manga that you have in your room didn't teach me nothing, huh? ...Amu?!" He said in shock. "Why are you crying?!"

"H-Huh?! I'm crying?!" I quickly raised my hands to my eyes, trying to rub them away, checking if they really were there. "Um...I...I don't really know." I muttered, looking at my teared stained hands and sleeves. "I-I mean, I don't feel sad at all. I feel really happy. B-But yet I'm crying...I-I really don't know why...!"

"Ah...T-That doesn't really make me feel better. Making a girl cry that is." He mumbled the last part, but I heard it anyways.

"Jerk. This isn't the first time you've made me cry." And he wasn't quite that sorry back then.

"...It isn't?" He asked with an innocent look that didn't quite fit him.

"....You jerk." I repeated.

"Hey!" Ikuto seemed ready to defend himself when another voice drifted into our coversation.

"U-Um! I'm sorry about interupting!!" Eru was still flying, hovering above us. "Amu! I need to talk to you really quickly! Can you come with me?!"

I quickly wiped the remainder of my tears before looking up at her. I had a feeling that my eyes were swollen anyways, though. "Why can't we just talk here?"

"I...Um...It's orders! I apologize, Ikuto!" And before either of us could say a word, I was lifted off the ground and into the air.

"Hey! Wait! Don't I get a say in this?!" I complained as we were flown off to somewhere far from Ikuto.

"Unfortunately, even if you did, it wouldn't have mattered."

In other words, no. I didn't. I looked down at the ground below us. It'll be lonely, without Ikuto around anymore.

* * *

Finally, we stopped at the roof of a building. "...Is it really necessary for us to come all the way up to a rooftop?" I ask with a pretty visible pout on my face.

"Just a place so Ikuto can't hear."

"Ikuto is miles away."

"Exactly." She said and I let out an annoyed sigh. "Anyways, this is regarding Ikuto... He's going to disappear quicker."

"WHAT?!" I yelled at her. I couldn't believe this. And she took me miles away from Ikuto to tell me this?! I would much rather be with Ikuto right now! I must've looked like I was going to strangle her because Eru decided to take a few steps back for safty measures.

"W-Wait! I-I have to tell you something else..."

* * *

I stared at Eru. I couldn't believe what I just heard. I felt weak in the knees and immediatly fell to the ground, or cieling in this case. We were on a roof. "T-That's...I can't believe that?!" I said in a slightly desperate tone of voice.

"I'm sorry...Its rather complicated, the way the system works."

"Bring me back to Ikuto!" I said, gripping on her arm. "I need to see him then! ...If everyone is going to forget and pretend he won't exist, I need to see him one more time!" I was afraid. Afraid that I would forget too. No matter what, that was the one thing I didn't want. No matter what.

"You'll remenber him. But no one else will." Eru said softly. There was an apologetic side to what she had just said as well. "I'll take you back. But please. Don't mention a word of what I've told you to him."

She seemed determined to get a positive answer before she took me back to him. And it wasn't as if I could say no. I didn't know this part of town very well. I nodded.

"Ok, let's go then."

* * *

By the time we got back, Ikuto was still leaning on the tree. He seemed to be starring at his hands. "Ikuto--"

"Amu." He cut me off and held up his hands. My eyes widened at what I saw. "I'm disappearing." And it was true. His fingertips were see through and it seemed to be spreading. Quickly.

"E-Eru! This...!"

Eru shook her head slowly before taking off. She seemed unable to bear this any longer.

At this point, I was close to breaking down in tears again. Huh. I didn't think there would come a day where I'd cry more times than I did when I was an infant looking about for milk.

"...Um..."At hearing Ikuto's voice, I looked up at him. I've never seen him with such an expression. He looked shy. Bashful. Uncertain, mostly. But any of those emotions looked somewhat foreign on him. "A-Amu, remenber? Before. You said it wouldn't be ok if I only promised when I'll be back..."

"...Because you didn't know when." I said with a nod. It wasn't as if I would ever forget something as important as time spent with Ikuto.

"Well, I still don't know when." He admitted with a sheepish glance to the side. "But...I'm 100% certain that I'll come back."

"...That's the same thing as a promise. What good is that?" I snapped back.

"Because, I won't break it if there's something important for me in the end too, right?" He said with a smile. He seemed to reach into his pocket and took out a small box. "...For you."

"...?" I stared at the box in confusion. I could only imagine what might be inside. Despite myself, I felt really curious to what it might be so I opened it. "...?!??! A-A-A-A RING?!?!" I said in surprise. "B-B-B-B-But I'm too young to get married!"

Ikuto looked amused at my behavior, to my annoyance. "Relax! I'm not asking to marry you! Not right now anyways!" He said, taking the ring and box back. "I'm going to ask when I come back! This ring wasn't easy to find, no way am I going to let you loose it! Its made by that Easter Company's famous jewelry maker, Lulu!"

"...Eh?! How _do_ you know all these people?!" I said in shock. "...Hey, wait a minute, you said that ring was for me?!"

"Oh, I did say that, didn't I?" For a moment, I really thought I had him there. "But I didn't say when!"

"What?!"

"You heard me! Wait until I come back, alright?" He said with a smirk.

And then the smile falter. "...Because I'll be gone within mere seconds." He said softly.

"Huh? What do you mean...? You're still right here in front of..." That's when I noticed that Ikuto's legs were already gone. "...Ah..." I said in a soft, heartbroken voice.

"Goodbye Amu!" He said with a weak smile and before I could say or react, he gave me one last kiss and disappeared.

* * *

**-Narrator's POV-**

Amu's parents didn't know what to do when Amu had returned home with tear filled eyes. They haven't seen their daughter cry in years. They especially didn't know what to say when she kept repeating the name 'Ikuto'.

To Amu's horror, none of them, not even Ami knew who 'Ikuto', their cat, was. Then she remenbered what Eru had told her. No one would remenber. After she recalled that, she ran into the kitchen, looking around for Ikuto's belongings. All gone. Even his cat bowls that used to hold water and his cat food were no where to be found.

"Even...Even if I knew it was like this..." Amu mumbled when she was in her room. "I never thought...that it'd hurt so much..." She had known that this would happen, the lonniless, but she never thought it'd be that bad. Never did she think that Ikuto became this important to her. Not until he was gone. And the only thing that played in her head were the memories with Ikuto before she cried herself to sleep.

* * *

"...Moving?" Amu repeated, unable to say anything else.

"Yes, Amu, your father got a rather good job offer. But we have to move to England. So we'll be moving next month."

"B-But you said, before, that you'll only move me elsewhere at the end of the year!"

"...Well." Her mother seemed to let out an exasperated sigh. "Look, sometimes old routines have to change. Please understand that."

"I understand..." Amu said and waited until she left before she let her face twist into a painful expression. "...So they'll take away the place with all my memories of Ikuto too, huh?"

* * *

Despite that, all the boxes were packed by the end of the month and all good byes were said.

It was only at the airport as she boarded the plane that through all the glass windows within the building that she saw something familiar. A flash of blue. Just for a second and then it was gone.

Amu stared in surprise for a moment, before faintly smiling as she turned to continue to board the plane.

_Goodbye, Ikuto._

* * *

**Ok, I think I might've need a beta reader for this chapter... D8 I did not have spellcheck...**

**And before anyone throws tomatos at me for having such a sad ending, please read the epilogue first. If you're still unsatisfied...then you can throw tomatos at me o_o;;**


	16. Epilogue

**The epilogue, peeps. ;) Finally made it here. Damn, that has been a long...how long has it been? Over a year?! ...That counter must be broken. Well, either way, it certainly has been a long time.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Shugo Chara!**

* * *

"Talking"

_Thinking_

"YELLING"

"_Person saying something special or person thinking back to what another person said. You'll have to figure it out yourself :O"_

* * *

**_Epilogue_**

Four years. That's how long Amu spent without Ikuto. And it was the first time in four years that she saw that same shade of blue.

And as impossible as she thought it was, the Ikuto that had left to heaven or where ever else ghosts disappeared to was right there in front of her. "Ikuto?" She ended up saying. Their resemblance was striking and she wondered if it was truely alright for her to hope that it really was him.

"What?" The boy responded, looking back up at her.

The boy had responded to Ikuto. The boy _was_ Ikuto. For the first time in four years, Ikuto had returned. Amu didn't know how or even cared about how. All she knew was that he was here. And he was real. That was all that mattered to her.

* * *

**Such a short epilogue! oAo;; Why? Er...because its sorta a summary for the sequel. oAo;; Why's there a sequel? Because the main story ended. But I still want to give them a happy ending, alright?**

**Sheesh, I know I'm wierd, no need to point it out, please... 8D;;**


	17. Cat's True Love Neo! :Sequel:

**Gah! I'm finally done! QAQ;; Why did this take so long?? Well, I guess for one thing it is 18 pages... But I had to cram a lot of stuff int D:**

**At first, I wanted to make them meet Tadase's dad again...but I changed my mind. Too much work and planning. I wanted it to be a oneshot anyways D:**

**So well, enjoy the 18 pages! And a happy ending instead of the other one! 8D**

* * *

It's been four years now, since Amu had left Japan, had left her memories of Ikuto behind. Not that she forgot him. More like she wished it never happened. 15 years old, she now stands in her old room in Japan, staring into the mirror, getting ready for school again.

It wasn't as if the four years in England was bad or anything, but she missed Ikuto, cried whenever she was reminded of him. There were happy times with her friends, but each day ended with the same memories, the same tears.

* * *

Down the stairs and out the door, no one was awake in the house. She woke up far too early nowadays for her family to compete. Down the street she walked, all quiet and gray. The clouds blocked out the sun, threatening to rain.

At the first traffic light, while she was waiting for the light to change, the first few drops of rain fell. "…Ah…" She said, looking up for the first time on her trip to school. It was in that lucky moment that she saw a familiar flash of midnight blue. "…Eh?! I-Ikuto!" She said in a rather quiet voice. She would've spoken with a louder voice, but she wasn't that sure that it had been him. Instead, thinking about Ikuto brought her to tears again. Thinking about his last moments always ended up with her in tears.

The light changed and she walked on. The rain came down harder and by the time she arrived at the next crosswalk it had started pouring. Amu had not brought an umbrella so she looked about for a place to hide under.

Seeing a bus stop, she quickly hid under it. She suddenly remembered that day she had gotten lost when a snowstorm hit. Ikuto had saved her that time. Sighing, she tried to push the memory out of her mind before the tears would come.

It wasn't until she sat down that she noticed another person sitting there. A boy. Hood covering his eyes, clothes just as wet as Amu's, he looked as if he was asleep. She wouldn't have paid him much mind if it wasn't for the color of his hair. Midnight blue.

"...Ikuto...?" The words escaped from her mouth before she could think of anything else. She immediately regretted thinking this. This was impossible. She must be imagining things.

"What?" The boy asked, looking up.

Amu gasped, the boy looked exactly like Ikuto! And he responded to the name 'Ikuto'. "I-Ikuto? I-Is that really you?!"

"..." The boy stared at her for a moment. "Yes. My name is Ikuto. I don't know you, however. So you must have the wrong person." Ikuto said with a shrug, leaning back against the glass wall of the bus stop.

"What?! No! You're Ikuto, right? Don't you remember me?!" Amu said with a rather desperate tone of voice. "It's me! Amu!"

"...I don't know anyone named Amu." He muttered. "If you're one of those fangirls..." His voice trailed off and he looked somewhat angry. "Leave me alone...damn fans." He said before getting up and leaving, leaving Amu speechless.

"W-What the hell...?!" Was all she managed to say before the tears came pouring down as hard as the rain above.

* * *

Entering the gates to Seiyou high school, the first thing Amu noticed was a crowd of girls around someone. The rain had stopped by now.

"Go out with me, Ikuto!"

"Just one date? I promise that's all!"

"Here's my phone number!"

"Give me _your_ phone number, Ikuto!"

"Heck, give me your address!"

Amu watched the crowd in shock. _Was...Was this what he was talking about earlier...?!_ She thought. But even so, Amu was confused and upset at the fat that Ikuto had not remembered her. Why was that? What happened to the promises he had made? Was everything just a lie?

"...Ah. I was late...Sorry, Ikuto!" A voice behind Amu said. Quickly turning around, Amu saw a boy with chocolate brown hair and eyes about Ikuto's age, 16, standing rather close to her. In fact, any closer, and they might be hugging.

"H-Hey! Move over!" Amu yelled, flustering a bit. "You're way too close!"

The boy looked down at Amu. And the moment their eyes met, Amu remembered something. She had seen him before. When Ikuto was still a cat, he was one of those 'ghostly figures' she had seen around the town. It wasn't the girl who talked to her, however. "Sorry." The boy said with a sheepish smile.

"Oi! Kyo!" Ikuto's voice came from within the crowd. "Even if you're late, I still need your damn help!"

"Oh, right, sorry!" Kyo yelled back. Amu just stared at him, wondering what he might do next. She was somewhat amused, if it could be put that way, by this whole situation. It almost seemed unreal to her since no one ever fought with her for Ikuto's affections. Utau didn't really count. Since, well, she never really liked Ikuto that way. "Ahem..." Kyo cleared his voice. "Girls! Ikuto's already dating someone! Leave already."

"Eh?! He is?!" Amu asked in shock.

A few girls turned to glare at Kyo and Amu.

"Yea right! Big liar!"

"Just who is it?!"

"Give us some proof!"

"Ah...I guess that won't work anymore now that she's gone..." Kyo mumbled and an exasperated sigh came from inside the crowd.

_She...? Who's she...?_ Amu wondered.

"HEY!!" A loud voice called from the gates. "ALL OF YOU! GET AWAY FROM TSUKIYOMI BEFORE I KICK YOUR $$!!" The voice belonged to a girl with a rather angry face.

"...Hah...Who taught that girl to curse so early in the morning?" Ikuto's voice came from inside the crowd again.

"C-Chiyo?!" Kyo said in surprise. He had not expected her here. Amu looked at the girl. She seemed familiar. Then she remembered. She was another of the ghosts. The one that had appeared at the party.

The girls turned to look at Chiyo. "Oh! Crap! Its Chiyo! She was in my class last year! She doesn't hesitate to carry out her threats!" After that, the girls surrounding Ikuto disappeared.

No sooner did that happen, the girl, chiyo, ran over and latched herself onto Ikuto. "Tsukyomi-san! I'm in high school now too, aren't you happy to see me?" She asked with a giggle.

"W-Wha...?!?" Amu started pointing at the girl in shock and confusion. "W-Who is that?!" Amu asked Kyo frantically.

Chiyo turned to look at Amu. "Tsukiyomi's next door neighbor and childhood friend. Pointing is rude. Who're you?" She stated with some air of superiority. "His girlfriend or something? Cause otherwise, you have no right to point at me.

Amu was speechless. _What's with this girl?!_

"Chiyo! Off!" Ikuto ordered, prying the 10th grader off his back. The girl reluctantly got off.

"Aw...Sheesh. Tsukiyomi! I'm finally in the high school division! You should be happy to see me!" Chiyo said with a pout.

"I'm never happy to see a girl that can kick my $$ at any given time." Ikuto scoffed, fixing his bag. And he was wondering who taught her how to curse.

"Right..." The girl said with sarcasm. "Love you too, Tsukiyomi!" She joked with a roll of eyes as she followed him into the school.

Amu was about to follow as well when a hand grabbed her shoulder lightly and swirled her around. "...Kyo?!"

"I don't know what Ikuto means to you...but you should give up." He said, releasing her. "He already has someone he cares deeply about..." His voice seemed to falter slightly near the end.

"...Is it Chiyo...?" Amu asked as he started to walk away.

Kyo stopped and smiled sadly. "I wish." He muttered before walking away.

All of this left Amu extremely confused and she stood there for a moment, wondering what to do as the bell rang and students started running in. It was only after all the students' mad scramble in when she saw a singer white feather fall to the ground in front of her. Of course. There was still her that she could look for answers in.

"...Eru..."

* * *

School ended for the day and to Amu's shock and horror, she had multiple classes with Chiyo who continually gave her glares. And it was not unexpected that she had no classes with Ikuto. He was a grade higher than her.

Remembering that the feather had fallen from the the courtyard, she decided to try looking from the roof. Climbing up the stairs, Amu was annoyed at how many floors the high school division had in comparison to the elementary one. As she near the door, she heard voices.

"...Not that, Chiyo..." A rather familiar voice said.

"You sure, Ikuto? ...Don't lie if...I want...please...loyal to that person." A girl, Chiyo's voice.

Amu couldn't hear too clearly and she proceeded to go closer to the door, to press her ear by the metal and listen to what they were saying. But just as she was about to do that, a hand grabbed her arm and stopped her. She would've screamed if it wasn't for the other person's hand coming to cover her mouth. "Shh...."

Amu looked up to see Kyo looking down at her. "You shouldn't be eavesdropping on people..." He said with a small smile as he let her go.

"W-Wha..." Amu was startled by such an accusation, as true as it was. "W-Well, what about you?! You just snuck up behind me!"

"Oh, right. Sorry about that." He said with a short laugh. "You have my apologies."

"Hmph! You're lucky I'm nice enough to accept it then!" Amu said with a somewhat angry voice.

"Yea...Um..." There was a short silence between the two before Kyo spoke up again. "...Did you know Ikuto from before now?"

"Y-Yes I did!" Amu answered immediately.

"Do you now? And how do I know that's the truth?" He replied with a dark look in his eyes. "I've known Ikuto for a long time now. I've never seen you around him. In fact, I've never even seen you before."

"I...Its...complicated..." Amu mumered.

"If so, please explain yourself. Too many people claim that they knew Ikuto, really. I don't like it when people do that. Especially when its clear who Ikuto loves."

"Wha?? A-And who would that be?!" Amu remembered that he had said something like that earlier in the day and she really was curious as to who it might be. She also felt hurt too since Ikuto had loved her before. And while all this time, she sitll loved him, he...didn't love her back.

"...My sister. Risu..." He mumbled. And before Amu could respond, the door opened. Chiyo and Ikuto looked at the two of them in surprise.

Chiyo's stare soon turned into a glare. "...Hey! What were you doing?! Eavesdropping on us?!" She had directed the question at Amu. Apparently, she wouldn't care if Kyo heard. "Don't you have any manners?!"

"No, um, wait, I didn't...!" Amu protested as Chiyo looked ready to hit her a couple of times. She was about to brace herself for it when Kyo pulled Chiyo away.

"Hey! What are you doing, Kyo?!"

"Amu, you said that you knew Ikuto, right? I don't believe you, but that doesn't matter in the end, does it? Its just Ikuto who needs to believe you." He said as he started pulling Chiyo down the stairs who was complaining the whole way through. "Talk with him then."

"Um...Uh, thanks?" Amu said, not sure if the other was actually doing her a favor. But he must've been cause Chiyo ended up giving him a few bruises by the time the two had gotten down the building.

* * *

"Say what you have to say so I can get going already." Ikuto mumbled as he leaned by the railing and looked downward.

"Um..." Amu said and blushed. Ikuto looked really cool that way. "...Do you remember me?"

"No." The answer came with out any hesitance and Amu felt almost as if someone cut her heart with a blade. He had sounded so sure.

She couldn't stop the sobs that were coming up. Hic. Sob. Hic. And then more sobbing. After a while, the tears stopped flowing and it was near sunset now.

"Are you done now?" Ikuto asked her when she had quieted down.

"...You waited for me to stop crying? You could've left anytime and I wouldn't care." Amu said. She didn't want to show that she cared too much.

"...I wouldn't leave a girl crying all alone up here." Ikuto said as he looked up from the streets below for the first time. "I'm sorry. But I don't know you." He said as he looked down at her the moment she looked up. And for a second, his breath was caught at his throat as he seemed to recgnize something in those bright yellow eyes. _No. I don't know her. I don't..._ Ikuto thought in order to convince himself.

"I...I understand." Amu nodded and try to break something of a smile, maybe a smirk, but her lips wouldn't move the way she wanted to. At all. It just stayed there as a frown. "Y...You can go now. I just want to be alone with myself for a little longer."

Ikuto nodded and with one last slightly concerned glance at her, he headed for the door and walked down the stairs.

Amu listened till Ikuto's footsteps were no longer audible. Then she broke down in tears again.

A few minutes later, the door opened again. "...Girls shouldn't cry in solitude. I'm sure guys would've loved to cheer up a crying girl."

It wasn't Ikuto's voice.

"I didn't know you came back until someone told me. You should've come to see us. Most of us stayed at the same school you know?"

The voice was so familiar.

"Class Prez!" Amu shouted in surprise as she turned around to find Kairi.

Kairi in return, twitched slightly and his smile faltered. "...It would do both of us good if you actually remembered my name..."

"Oh, sorry!" Amu laughed. "But it's good to see you again, Kairi."

"Yes, I feel the same." Kairi said, walking up towards her and sat down on a bench. "So why're you just standing there to cry? You could've at least sat down."

Amu didn't answer.

"...I saw Ikuto walking around the school before. Did you try to ask him out?"

"..."

"Hah, I thought so. That guy breaks girls' hearts like its nothing." Kairi said with a chuckle.

"Don't say that as if you know him..." Amu mumbled angrily.

"Ah, I'm sorry." He said with a sigh before there was a silence. "You know. That boy that you used to be around. Your cousin or something?"

"Something of that sort." Amu said quietly. She didn't remenber the whole made up title now. It had been 4 years now.

"His name. Was Ikuto as well, right? What was it?" He took out his notebook again and flipped through the pages. "Ikuto Amaterasu." He paused to look thoughtful for a momement. "...Hm. Ikuto Amaterasu. Ikuto Tsukiyomi."

"..." Amu thought back. Back then, Kairi had asked about Ikuto's last name. How long had he know Ikuto? "...You...You know Ikuto well?"

"Yes." Kairi nodded. "I've known him...for a long time now."

"...Can you tell me? About what happened while I was no longer here?" Amu asked slowly.

Kairi shrugged. "I guess its not like I have anything to hide."

* * *

**-Kairi's POV-**

Our families have known each other for a while. Both of them worked for the same company. But we've only ever talked or saw each other briefly. Only in those giant meetings with everyone. Utau was there those times too. She was always either really fond or really annoyed with Ikuto.

There was always a girl there. She often followed Ikuto around and fought with Utau when she was fond of him. Her name was Chiyo, I think. At first thought, I really thought that she was the one who really liked Ikuto. I've asked her about it. She's the one who told me no she didn't. Instead, her answer was always the same.

"I'm keeping him away from girls until he meets that special person of his!" She said proudly. "I'll be his bodyguard until that time comes!"

* * *

"Really? I...didn't think that she would think that way." Amu stated.

"I don't really know what she was thinking either." I said with a short laugh and a shrug. "She sure seems dedicated to it anyways."

* * *

And then, two years ago, Ikuto showed up with three people. Chiyo, Kyo, and one more. A girl with straight, greenish-hair. And I always thought I was the only one with green hair. She had seemed rather plain. Not at all someone Ikuto would be interested in.

"I can stop protecting Ikuto now!" Chiyo had told me that day. "This is the last party I'll come to because Tsukiyomi found the person he loves the most!"

That girl was Risu. She was plain, but Ikuto didn't seem to mind that.

* * *

"...Then I guess...I don't really have any hope left huh?" Amu said sadly. "If...he already had someone to love..."

"I'm not really done." Kairi said with something of a scoff.

* * *

Last year, Ikuto missed a party. He wasn't there. Nor was Chiyo, but I had expected that. She said she would no longer come. But wasn't Risu and Kyo coming?

Only the next party did I learn what happened. Ikuto came again, Kyo too. But so did Chiyo. Neither of them smiled once during the whole party.

"Oh, I'm sorry for not coming the last time." Kyo said to me. The corner of his lips seemed to twinge up a little, as if he was trying hard to smile. It didn't work and he gave up, frowning again. "My...sister died last month..." He said, his voice barely a whisper.

"I...I'm sorry to hear that!"

And then after that, Kyo broke down into tears and all three of them left with Ikuto's parents.

* * *

**-Narrator's POV-**

Amu was shocked by the ending of the story. She could understand a bit of what happened now. "...So. Chiyo still believes that Risu is Ikuto's true love. Is that why she doesn't want any girl close to him?"

"I would think so. I don't know what leads her to believe that though."

"Thanks for telling me what happened, Class Prez."

Kairi gave her an annoyed look.

"I meant Kairi." Amu corrected herself with an amused smirk.

* * *

The next day, she could barely wait till her 3 period class that she shared with Chiyo. She wanted to ask her about Ikuto. Although she had expected her to not cooperate, she had not expected her to be this bad.

"No! Why would I want to work with you?!" She had said harshly when Amu asked her to be my partner for the group project.

"Um...There's no more partners around?" Amu said and hoped that everyone had grouped and paired up already.

Chiyo looked around and scowled. "Fine. I'll be your partner."

Amu smiled. _Mission accomplished_. She thought and proceeded to find out what she wanted to know. "Um...You know Kairi, right?"

"Sanjo? Yea. I do." She stated nonchalantly. "What about him?"

"Um...He told me. About what happened between..."

Chiyo suddenly glared up at Amu from the desk. She immediately sat up straight too. "That bastard! I'll get him for this...!"

"E-Er! No! I mean, I asked him first!"

"So?! He still needn't tell everything!"

"Look! I just want to know what happened, ok!" Amu was near shouting now. "Um...I wanted to...know more about Risu..."

A pained look flashed across Chiyo's face. "I...guess it doesn't harm a dead person telling about what happened...."

* * *

**-Chiyo's POV-**

I met Ikuto when I was 3. We lived next to each other. I still remenber the day he moved in to the vacant house next door. He was a year older than me, but we were still able to be friends. At that time, we didn't go to the same school.

And that night when he moved in, I saw something. Outside my window, there was a girl. A girl with wings. Blonde hair and wings. It immediately registered to me that she was an angel.

"Keep Ikuto away. Keep him away from any girl that wants him. There's a girl he's destined for. Don't let him near anyone else." She had said to me.

Whenever I told anyone of this encounter, they never believed me. Well, only one person did. Risu did. We went to the same daycare, here actually. Seiyo Daycare for toddlers. She was fascinated by angels and the such and wished that she would've been able to see her.

"Wow! A mission by an angel! That's so cool!" Risu said. "Remenber to complete it! There's sure to be a reward in the end!"

I followed what she said. I made sure no girl got too close to Ikuto. At first, I was worried that Ikuto might hate me for it. But he didn't mind too much. He didn't like having girls crowd around him too much.

* * *

"Who's Risu?" Ikuto asked me one day while I was over at his house. Him and Kyo were working on a project for school while my parents were away.

"She's my younger sister." Kyo said with a smile.

"She's also my best friend!" I had said proudly.

"I see..." Ikuto muttered and didn't ask of her again.

* * *

The first time the two met was 5 years ago. I could tell that Risu had immediately fallen in love. I was a little upset about it. I wouldn't want to keep my my best friend away from the person she liked.

But she understood what I was supposed to do and never made any move on Ikuto like all other girls would.

* * *

It was two years ago when Ikuto suddenly blurted out to her. "I love you!"

Me and Kyo stared at the two. We sat a few feet away, the ice cream started melting in our hands now.

For a moment, I wanted to do my job and tear the two away, but then I realized. Could it be that Risu was the girl the angel was talking about? Ikuto was the one who told her he liked her, hadn't he? That should be enough ground for proof.

And so I started to stay away from Ikuto and watched from afar. I wasn't lonely. Kyo was there with me when those two wanted to be alone.

* * *

"...Um..." Amu mumbled.

"What?" I snapped. "Don't interrupt me when you're the one who wanted to hear!"

"I'm just curious... You didn't like Ikuto at all the whole time?"

I looked at her shocked. And here, I thought only Risu might've saw through me. Yes, I had liked Ikuto. But I knew he wouldn't like me back. That was for sure. And I had rather keep it as unrequited love. "...No. Of course not. I'm just his bodyguard!"

"Right..." Amu said suspiciously.

* * *

And then last year...We all lost someone important to us.

"Are you stupid?!" I yelled at Risu. "I can't believe you just agreed to help out with the ice cream shop! I mean, carry boxes of ice cream through the streets for them?! I'd rather eat them! Not sweat like crazy carrying them!"

"Aww, come on! They said they'd let us eat all we'd like for the summer if we help them!" Risu said with a bright smile.

"Tch..." I mumbled. The light by the street gave us the ok to walk and I started walking quickly across the street. The box weighed me down a bit but it wasn't that heavy.

"Um, wait up, Chiyo!" Risu called from behind me.

"What?" I had already made it across the street but she was still only half way across the road. The light was starting to blink. "Hurry up!" I said, waiting for her at the edge of the sidewalk.

"Yea! I'm coming!" She started picking up her pace and then she tripped. The traffic light above turned green.

"...Risu?" I heard the honk of a car. "...RISU!!"

* * *

**-Narrator's POV-**

"...That's how she died..." Chiyo whispered the last part and buried her head in her arms.

"I...I'm sorry for making you repeat it." Amu said softly.

"Naw...Its not that bad. I just...regret not being able to do anything."

"...Is that why you don't want any girls near him? Because you believe that she's the one Ikuto's destined to be with?"

Chiyo nodded and then sat up again. "Yes. Now more than ever, I don't want Ikuto to forget her. Because to her, he was the most important."

"...I see." Amu said softly.

Right then, there was a knock on the door. "I'm looking for Amu?" A male voice said.

"A student council member?"

"Did she get in trouble?"

"On her second day?"

Amu turned to see Nagihiko standing there. "...Nagi...?!"

Nagihiko grinned at her surprise. "Yup, I'm sorry Miss! But I need to borrow Amu for a bit." Getting the teacher's permission, Amu left the room with Nagihiko.

* * *

"Its good to see you again!" Nagihiko said with a smile. "I had heard from Kairi."

"Ah...I see..." Amu said, still a little hard to muster a smile after what she had heard. "...Oh yea, Kairi said to me yesterday. Most of you were still here." Were there some friends that were no longer here?

"Oh...What he meant was that some of the people who knew you well have moved away." He said with a small smile. "They moved kind of far so I doubt that you'd be able to see them again... The ones still here are me, Kairi, Rima, Yaya, Ran, Miki, and Suu..."

"Oh...That's too bad. I would've loved to see them again."Amu mumered.

"Yea..." Nagihiko agreed. "Oh, that's right...The reason I came to get you. There's someone who wanted to talk to you..."

* * *

At the school gate, Amu saw the last person she would've expected to be in a school uniform. It was not the Seiyo uniform, but of another schools. Not that it made much of a difference. She was shocked none the less. "...Eru!"

"Amu! Its good to see you again!" She said with a smile. She looked like she wanted a hug. Amu did not feel like giving her one. It was way too out of character for her.

"About time you showed up!" Amu said in her normal tsudere way. "Where were you?! ...And, what happened here while I was gone...?" From what she heard, it sounded like Ikuto had existed as a human from way before she had met him as a cat.

"Well..." Eru started. "Remember what I said? That normally ghosts just gets reborn as a baby? It was...different in Ikuto's case. There...needed to be a revision of history, I guess you can say."

"...Revision of history...? I guess...that makes sense." Amu mumbled. It did sound like from what Kairi and Chiyo had said that the past had been slightly revised.

"Also..." Eru poked her fingers together in both embarrassment and shame. "I...uh...I was the one who told Chiyo to keep Ikuto away from girls... But the girl I mean for him to be 'destined' for was you...But she appeared to have taken it in the wrong way..." She said with a sigh.

"Eh?!? T-Then can't you tell her that now?!" Amu said with a voice that was annoyed. There was also a tinge of annoyance there.

"I...uh...I can't..." Eru said slowly. "...Remember? Not only did Chihana get in trouble with God. I did too..."

Amu stared at her in disbelief.

"So...uh...Do your best to win Ikuto over!" Eru said before running away so Amu wouldn't get the chance to slap her once or twice from that.

* * *

"She...She makes it sound so easy!" Amu cried angrily as she walked down the hall back to the classroom. Maybe she was a little too loud since the hall monitor caught her and gave her detention. Apparently, she had needed a pass to go meet Eru. Even if she was escorted by Nagihiko.

* * *

Amu walked into the detention room annoyed. She was surprised to see only one other person there and no teachers. "...Ikuto!"

The blue haired boy turned to look at Amu. "...Yes?" He said, raising an eyebrow. "You're not going to cry again are you?"

"Er...no..." Amu said as she sat down a seat or two away from him. _Great. So that's his impression of me now, isn't it?_ She thought. That really...didn't make her feel very good about herself.

There was an akward silence as they waited for their teacher. At least 15 minutes had past and no one else had entered the room.

"...Hey. Your name."

"Huh? Yes??"

"What was your name again?"

"Y...You don't remember it?! I just told you yesterday!"

"Yesterday was a long time ago."

Amu growled slightly in anoyance. "Amu. Amu Hinamori. Remenber it."

Ikuto nodded and went back to whatever he was doing. Doodling on his notebook, it appeared. "...Hey."

"Yes?" Amu was a bit annoyed that he didn't address her with his name. He did just ask for it after all.

"You...keep insisting that I know you. Why is that?"

"...Because...Um..."

"You can't explain it?" Ikuto asked. If she can't explain it, then she might as well be making it up. He sighed. Why do girls do that? Risu was the only one who never seemed to want to do that.

"...If I told you. I don't think you'd believe me." Amu continued.

"Oh?" Well, he's never heard that one before. "Well, try me. I just might believe you."

"We knew each other in a past life..." Amu stated slowly. Ikuto gave her a skeptical look. "I mean! Um...It wasn't my past life. I was still living this life... Your past life."

"Mine?" Ikuto continued to give her a skeptical look. Seems like this girl has read too many romance novels. "...And how do you know that we're one and the same?"

"You look the same. You have the same name. The same voice."

"...Then show me some proof." Ikuto said as he leaned back in his chair. "You must've taken pictures or something, right?"

"Its...complicated." Amu mumbled. "All traces of 'you' disappeared when you 'died'."

"Really? You're making this hard to believe. You know, you could've just went and photoshopped something to show me tomorrow, right?"

"...Then I'd be lying. I don't want to lie!"

"...So I can assume that you're not lying now?"

"I'm not lying!"

"Then...tell me, how did you know this?"

"An angel told me. blond hair and wings."

Ikuto laughed. "Chiyo must've told you too many stories then! Did you just get this from her?" Some anger was evident in his voice now.

"...We both saw the same angel." Amu insisted. "Ask her. Cause she didn't tell me this for sure, what her eyes were like. They were always closed for me. But I think...if she opened them, they wouldn't be blue."

"And what color do you think?"

"Purple."

"Why?"

"Just a speculation." Amu said with a smirk.

"That's amusing." Ikuto said with a smirk. "I like you. You're fun to talk to. Tell me more about my past life."

"You won't believe me." Amu said with a smirk of her own.

"Try me."

"Fine. In your past life, you were a cat that can turn into a human."

"Now you're just making stuff up!"

"I'm not! You don't have to believe me if you don't want to!"

And the afternoon past just like that. The teacher didn't come in and interrupt at all. The bell rang and they were free to go.

* * *

"I'll walk you home."

"Eh? I don't want to bother you. I'll be fine."

"No. I want to."

"U...Um...Ok then." Amu muttered and started walking in the direction of her house. So it turns out that they only lived a block away from each other.

"Amu." Ikuto said when they reached her house. "I...you know about Risu, right?"

Amu nodded. She told Ikuto that she had asked around.

"I...before she died. I wanted to give her something." He reached into his pocket and took out a small box. Amu felt as though she's seen it before. "I never got the chance." There was a hint of melancholy there. "So...I want you to hang on to it for me."

He tossed the box to Amu who caught it and held it up gently, afraid that she would break it. "Can I look inside?" She asked. When Ikuto nodded, she proceeded to open it. Inside, she found the same ring that he had shown her that day. " A-A-A-A RING?!?!" Her expression was the same as it was 4 years ago.

"S-Shut up! Its not for you!" Ikuto yelled at her, but Amu could see a faint trace of a blush there. "Look! I just wanted you to hold on to it for me, ok?! Sheesh! I won't give that to anyone but Risu!"

"..." My face twisted to an angry pout. "Then why give it to me to hang on?!"

"Because! It takes up space in my pocket. And its heavy!" He said quickly. "And it seems that you'd be around me a lot more often now, right?! So if I ever wanted to see it, you can show me it!"

The two glared at each other for a moment before breaking off in laughter.

"Fine, Mr. I'm-too-lazy-to-carry-a-ring!" Amu teased. "I'll keep it safe."

"That's all I ask for." Ikuto said, waving goodbye to her as Amu walked up the porch steps. He continued on his way as Amu entered her own house.

Amu let out a breath that she was holding as she sat down against the door. She opened the box to look at the ring agian. Sure he had said it wasn't for her, but...

_Ikuto ended up keeping all the promises he made that day._ She thought with a smile.

**THE END**

* * *

**By the way, after this, I think I'll stick with writing one shots ;A; This has taught me that much Dx;;**

**And if I ever write multi-chapter fanfics, I'll write it all ahead of time first.**


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